The Legend of the Mermaid
by Garnette
Summary: Calaereth is a mermaid who has witnessed death and misfortune to many. She is the daughter of a mermaid leader. When Sauron's power begins to return, she will play a large role in the destruction of the Ring. While in Lorien, she meets a certain Marchwarden, whom she will also not only hold an important role in his life, but in his heart. HaldirxOC AU Inspired by The Little Mermaid
1. The Introduction

**Author's Note: Hello! Thank you for taking the time to look at my story, I really appreciate it! This is the first chapter in my story, and is more of a introduction. Please give me feedback, I have never published a story before and I am very nervous. I am open to critiques and comments, but please, no flaming. Thanks again!**

**P.S. You can visit my character's tumblr to understand more about her,interact with her, or if you have any questions. My tumblr link is on my profile page, because I can't publish it on here, it won't save, sorry :(**

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"Betwixt the green brink and the running foam,  
Sweet faces, rounded arms, and bosoms prest  
To little harps of gold; and while they mused  
Whispering to each other half in fear,  
Shrill music reach'd them on the middle sea."

-_Lord Alfred Tennyson, The Sea Fairies_

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They are coming, I can sense it. The sense of fear that inhabits every living creature in these waters. Such a fear has taken over their lives, the waters have become dangerous. My friends and family are being picked off, one by one, by Sauron and Saruman's dark forces. More and more stories come to our group, tales of dark, evil, creatures picking our kin up out of the water. Eating them alive. They say the waters have become polluted with bodies, of all kinds. Elves, humans, dwarves, orcs, goblins, and other undesirable things.

My father tells me the last time this happened was the War of the Last Alliance. My father had fought in the Last Alliance but his role had been limited, mermaids could only survive in the water. We could not jump upon land and have our tails turn into legs, no, it was not possible. But father was actively involved with elves after the murder of my mother by Orcs. Mother was in the Anduin, near Lothlórien, only a year after my baby brother's birth. At first, my father had sworn off any involvement with the elves, blaming mother's death upon them. Father knew though, in his heart he blamed himself. Father had been eager to join the war with Elves and Men, according to many he had fought viciously in the last few years of the war.

Not many casualties had occurred to our kind, at least, not as many as the Elves and Men had suffered. Only for Isildur to foolishly keep the ring, and die with it. Now, the ring is said to be in the hands of a hobbit. I'm quite worried, that the fate of Arda is in the hands of a hobbit.

Father says another war is coming, he claims he can smell bloodshed in the air. Father says this will be the last and final war, he is certain of it. Father has talked to Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. They are having more skirmishes at the border. Lady Galadriel is certain another war is coming as well. She has told my father that their time is approaching an end, as well as it is for our kind. Both of our kinds, made by Valar. We both, are gifted with immortality to a certain extent. Illness or age cannot affect mermaids.

Father is certain mermaids will play a larger role in this war, already he has agreed to watch the Anduin bordering Lothlórien. He also promises to send some mermaids to protect from attacks on the Western Lórien border. I know already, that is where he will send me to, to Nimrodel. Nimrodel and Celebrant, for certain. I am not a bad fighter, no, but father states I resemble my mother so much, it would be like losing his wife again if I died. I understand his fear, I will not ask more of him, I know that Nimrodel also occasionally has skirmishes.

My name is Calaereth, Light of the Sea, and this is my story. A story that is not known to many.

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**Author's note: Okay, so that was superbly short, I know, I'm sorry, I promise the next chapter will be a little lengthier! Unfortunately, it might be a few days, so please stay with me! Thank you for reading, and please review! I enjoy any kind of feedback, it is very inspiring and will help me publish chapters sooner. Thanks, and please check out my tumblr! (And yes, I do know mermaids are not mentioned in LOTR, this is an AU!)**


	2. The Journey

**Author's note: So I noticed that Obessiveicequeen,Kitaluv, and Dangerous Cheeseball followed my story, and Italiana30 and Dangerous Chesseball favorited it. Thank you guys so much! If you're reading this, I want to just give you a big hug! You can PM me if you like, but I am so thankful for what you guys did. You made my day. This chapter is made a little longer for you guys. :) **

**I was really surprised to see how many views I had from so many different countries! I know you guys are reading, I would really love to have your feedback! Well, I hope you liked the last chapter everyone! Here is the next chapter! I really hope you enjoy it, please review! :)**

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"What do you think will happen to me, sister?" Hithaeron, my younger brother asked. "Do you think I will have to watch the Anduin, just like father?" Hithaeron asked eagerly.

"I'm not sure, Hithaeron." I replied nonchalantly as we swam beside each other in a clear and straight line, with our group of mermaids. "Since you are still young in the eyes of our elders, I doubt you will be in the Anduin."

"But sister, I am a great fighter!" Hithaeron pouted.

"I know you are, brother." I glanced over at him, "But you will most likely be under my supervision." I did not complain to my brother about the fact I was a much more skilled fighter, and yet I was not fighting beside my father.

"How is that fair?"Hithaeron asked.

"Hithaeron, I do not make the rules, I follow them. You should too if you hope to become the leader of our group in the future." I felt my eyebrow twitch in irritation as I looked around the crystal clear waters of the Celebrant. I felt as if I was exposed in these waters, there was not enough depth to hide in. We were also pretty easy to see, the scales on our tails (_Hey, that rhymes_) reflecting the light even under the water. Shimmering as we passed by. Through the clear waters, I could see mellyrn, white barked trees, with golden leaves. They were beautiful, something I had never been able to witness before. I felt my mouth fall open slightly, the water moving over the surface blurred the image, but the colors were still bold as ever.

In that moment I knew, only elves could contain such beauty. Of all the human lands I had looked at from afar, they may have had large cities or amazing statues. For some reason though, they all paled in comparison to these beautiful, uncommon trees. I was entranced. Well, I was, until Hithaeron began speaking again.

"Sister, why are the trees golden?"Hithaeron asked another random question.

"How am I supposed to know?" I arched an eyebrow at him, "That is probably a better suited question for the elves, when we arrive."

"What if the elves don't understand me?" Hithaeron asked again.

I sighed, "Hithaeron, why don't you worry about it when it happens?"

"I was just wondering." Hithaeron stated, looking around again, as fish swam along beside us.

I watched him for a moment before looking back towards the front of our group again. Father, at the front of the line had stopped, in shallow water. All I could see was his light blue tail, I knew he was looking up and out of the water. I watched, his hand made a sudden gesturing motion. A safe sign, he was telling us to show ourselves. I nearly sighed in relief to know the elves were being welcoming. Hithaeron and I rose out of the water and joined father's sides, slightly behind him. The similarities that proved we were related were obvious. My brother and I shared a radiant blonde color of hair, even though our father had dark brown hair. We all shared the same, brown eyes. My eye shape, was slightly different. Nonetheless, the similarities were obvious.

I looked upon the shore, to see the same Mellyrn trees planted every where. There was a beautifully built bridge over the water, where a few elves watched from afar. I looked around, raising to a slightly taller height, my curiosity suddenly peaked. Sunlight filtered through the trees, tracing patterns of golden warmth across the land. Finally my eyes took in much more greater and important details, the elves. I was surprised to find many of the elves had a light blonde up to a silvery hue of hair. I did not see any big varieties like we had in our group. Our hair color range was more extended, red, blonde, brown, or black. The elves here seemed to blend in with the environment, with their fair-colored hair.

Another thing I noticed, was they all seemed to be particularly beautiful. It was as if they had natural beauty, another thing I had never witnessed in a human. Many humans had to use some kind of marker or ink, to look pretty. A naturally beautiful woman was rare.

Yes, mermaids are pretty, very pretty. Our beauty though, is more dark, seductive. We use beauty as an advantage, to lure in enemies and predators. These elves are different, of a more light, glowing beauty. No effort seems to be put forth, but like mermaids, some of these elves have more beauty than others. I noticed this with the female elf, that father was talking to. She wore a white dress that flowed to the ground, from here, I could tell she was tall. Another quality amongst elves. She had long, wavy, golden hair that fell to her waist. Her blue eyes were filled with wisdom that could only come from many years.

Beside her, stood a taller elf, with straight silver hair and dark brown eyes. He too, was very old and wise. He also, wore a brilliant white, and held the she-elf's hand. Immeaditly I knew they were husband and wife.

On the other side of the female elf, was another tall male elf. He was different though, with silvery-blonde hair. His silver eyes were penetrating and analyzing. He held himself with pride, and wore gray clothing, that blended in with his surroundings. At his side, a sword was attached, and a bow with arrows on his back. He was very tall as well, and in my opinion was very handsome. I was shocked slightly when his gaze met mine, and his eyes narrowed quickly. I felt the urge to glare back, but instead I looked away to meet the same wise, blue eyes. Eyes that seemed to be full of knowledge.

"_I see you have noticed my Marchwarden._" A voice suddenly spoke softly into my mind, I knew who it came from. The blonde she-elf, but she had not opened her mouth to say anything. "_Do not worry, daughter of Gaeralagos. I am a friend of both your mother and your father. I have waited a long time to meet you. My name is Lady Galadriel._"

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**Author's note: I would love to hear what you guys think! Please review! :)**


	3. The Meeting

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**Well, here is chapter three, I hope everyone likes it! Please tell me what you think!**

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"_Do not worry, daughter of Gaeralagos. I am a friend of both your mother and your father. I have waited a long time to meet you. My name is Lady Galadriel._"

My eyes momentarily widened, giving away my slightly surprised expression. I quickly regained composure and stared at her for a long time, suddenly wondering how she was able to talk to me in my mind. I wondered if it was a two way conversation.

"_You...You knew my mother?"_ I thought, sending the message to her; Galadriel suddenly smiling, showing that she had received the message.

"_Yes, I knew her very well." _Galadriel replied before turning away from me, and towards her husband. Without a word she looked over at him, and he looked over at her as if they were having an exchange similar to mine. The husband of Galadriel, glanced over at me, looked back at his wife, then at my father.

Instantly, I had the feel something odd was going on. The feeling that there was something happening here that I didn't know about, but knew it was about me. I watched my father more closely, as the big, tough father I knew began to show signs of nervousness. I suddenly found this situation similar to the news of my mother's death. My stomach had been a nervous pit of nerves, knowing something was terribly wrong, yet not quite able to figure out exactly what it is. I watched my father as he clenched his jaw, and curled his hands into fists. He began speaking in an Elvish language I quickly recognized as Quenya, I knew Sindarin, but not this ancient language.

Galadriel replied likewise, her voice now stern and calm. Father was silent, and glanced over at me, before sighing. Father nodded and replied again in the ancient language. I exchanged a wary glance with my brother before watching Galadriel. A smile came over her face, she nodded to my father before turning towards me again.

"Calaereth, your father has agreed to keep you in the Nimrodel, as well as your brother. You will come back to Caras Galadhon every month to meet with me. There is something you should know and learn." Galadriel said softly, her blue eyes assuring.

I swallowed hard, and nodded, I did not trust my voice just yet.

"Good." Galadriel said, then looked over at the handsome silvery-blonde haired elf who stood beside her, watching me. He blinked, and quickly turned towards Galadriel. "Calaereth, this is Haldir, Marchwarden of Lothlórien. You will find him on the Western border often." Galadriel looked over at Haldir who now stared at me, he nodded in acknowledgement, before leaving.

I let my eyes linger on his leaving form, to watch as his hair caught bits and pieces of the sunlight, making the color shine brightly. His long silvery-blonde locks were straight and fell mid back, I could tell he had a slightly more solid build than other elves. I blinked, _what was I doing_?

I tore my gaze away from the retreating form of the Marchwarden to Galadriel's knowing gaze. She had noticed the exchange, I blushed slightly, before looking away, ashamed. Right now, I wished to just duck under the soothing waters, hide from the world for a while. Simply ignore everything that was happening, I wondered for a moment how far I could get if I tried to swim away. Probably not very far, I realized. I frowned, I had a feeling my life would be changed, forever.

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Darkness settled upon Lothlórien like a blanket of darkness. I admired the twinkling lights of Lórien, as I combed out the tangles in my long, wavy blonde hair. I adored the city, my eyes scanning over the beautiful city. Stairs wrapped around the trees, lit up by pale lights. Talans, or flets, were lit up as well, even from here I could see elves in them. They were homes for the elves and they decorated the entire city. Sprinkled all across the city, I noticed stairs, bridges, and steps that made different pathways throughout the city. Complex pathways that only elves could easily adjust to, I could only imagine a human getting lost admist such fine architecture. I smiled at the thought, and looked up at the sky. Silver stars glittered across the sky, some brighter than the others. There was one that stood out the most tonight.

"Ah, I see you have noticed the Star of High Hope, the star of Eärendil." A gentle, yet deep and commanding voice suddenly spoke behind me. An accent was heavy upon his words.

Startled, I turned around to see a male elf emerge from the darkness. When I saw familiar silver eyes, I relaxed slightly, recognizing Haldir. I turned away from him, where I sat upon a large rock on the shore, my tail swaying slightly out of nervousness in the presence of this elf of great authority.

I eyed the bright star, "Is that what you call it?"

"Yes." The voice was closer now, I turned my head slightly to see Haldir sit down on the shore, only a few yards away from me. "Do you even know who Eärendil is?" Haldir questioned.

I shook my head, frowning. "Such stories are not known in my kind."

"Tis' a shame." Haldir paused, "They are very interesting stories."

"I'm listening." I glanced over at him to meet molten silver eyes, filled with liveliness.

"Eärendil, a half-elf, loved the sea. He sailed it often, even after he married Elwing, a beautiful elleth (she-elf). He was also given the choice between elf and man, he chose elf for his wife. Eärendil later went to turn into a star of High Hope for the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth. He is still alive today, in the heavens." Haldir gave a very brief summary, I could tell he was leaving out a few major details, but I didn't mind. _It was interesting, a half elf making a life decision based on what his wife wants, not his own wants. A wonderful story of putting another's needs before your own._ I thought to myself as I eyed the twinkling star.

"Is there more to the story?" I asked.

"Yes, would you like to-" Haldir began but a loud splash of water cut him off. I was frightened to see my father arise from the water, and he was frowning disapprovingly at me.

"Calaereth, I thought you would like to see your father before he goes away." Father nearly snarled.

"Father!" I glanced back at Haldir, gave him an apologetic glance, before sliding off of the rock and diving into the deep, dark waters. Some how I had lost track of time, and listened to Haldir's story, completely forgetting about my father. Now, I was following my father. Following him to a lecture, I was certain I would not forget anytime soon.

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**Author's note: Whew! That was very long! So tell me, what do you guys think? I felt like I was a little repetitive in this chapter. Please review! I am looking forward to your words of wisdom! :)**


	4. Nimrodel

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"After all of these years, Calaereth! One would think you would know not to socialize with elves! You should only talk to them if it is necessary, like the way it is necessary for me to have meetings with Lady Galadriel!" Father yelled at me, I frowned, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Unfortunately, I could not hold back the retort on the tip of my tongue.

"Then how did Galadriel know my mother?" I asked, the mention of my mother instantly mellowing my father.

Father sighed, and looked down at the ground. "Your mother loved talking to elves, she loved to trade with them. She enjoyed talking to them, especially Lady Galadriel. When she was pregnant with you, Lady Galadriel promised her that her daughter would have an important role in this world, and it's last fight against evil. Your mother has talked to her since, trying to get more details, she was given them, but she could not tell me them. Father's eyes saddened, "She was killed coming back from Lothlórien, you know that. Now, you know why she was in Lórien." Father explained briefly. "That is why Galadriel wishes to speak to you."

"So you just think that cutting off any ties with elves will solve anything? That will make matters even worse!" I scolded him, "This is the Marchwarden of Lothlórien! One of the few elves here that can be of help! Do you not understand that?" I asked.

"Yes, Calaereth, I do, but you cannot fall in love with him!" Father suddenly blurted out.

I gave him a puzzled look, "I am not in love with the Marchwarden, Father. Even I know how impossible a match like that is." I stated, not knowing how far from the truth I really was.

Father stared at me for a moment, to see if I was lying, seeing that I wasn't, he relaxed. "I'm sorry Calaereth, the last thing I need right now is worrying whether or not you are setting yourself up for devastation and heartbreak."

"You need not worry father, I will not allow myself to do so." I promised, leaning forward to hug my father. I heard him sigh in relief. I closed my eyes, silver eyes flashing into my memory. A look of surprise...and was that disappointment? No, surely not, Haldir did not know me. We had just met today, all he knew about me was my name. How could he be disappointed? _No, he does not have any excuse to be disappointed, he does not know me_. I assured myself, trying to convince myself that I was not intrigued about the story he had summarized in a few sentences. I tried to convince myself I did not want to hear more of the story, and any other ancient elven stories that were probably just as interesting. _Bah__, who am I kidding?_ I frowned, but quickly hid it as I pulled away from my father's embrace. I smiled at him, and watched him leave with the other great warriors of our group.

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Once father was out of sight, I finally went and rested on the bottom of the river floor, next to other resting mermaids and mermen. My younger brother, was one of them. I smiled sadly at him, he was lucky. His mind was not corrupted by the cruel reality of this world, not yet. Oh what I would give to be him, to not have to worry about the dangers that lurk beyond the safety of these borders. I sighed and looked up at the top of the river again, watching as the water flow disturbed the surface, blurring the outside world. I closed my eyes, almost instantly I was haunted by familiar silver eyes.

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The next morning everyone rose quickly and packed their belongings to bring with them. As the day began to lighten we set out for Nimrodel, traveling upstream in the Celebrant. Every now and then, we would stop and check to make sure the Galadhrim(guard of Lothlórien), were keeping pace. I was very impressed to discover they had exceptional endurance, and that most of the time they were ahead of us, waiting on us. I knew without a doubt in my mind, Haldir kept these elves fit and fast. A great advantage if your enemies are fat and slow, very much like orcs and goblins.

I grinned at the thought of a fat Orc, trying to outrun an elf. I knew that it had probably happened, many mermaids said the Galadhrim were ferocious in battle. They also tended to not take prisoners, they wiped out all orcs and goblins alike. I wouldn't blame them though, I would not want such a disgusting and vile creature around me either. For a moment I wondered how Orc tasted, instantly I cringed at the thought. I had observed a young merman chomp upon a dead Orc, the sour look on his face when he bit into it was enough to persuade me to never try it. There was no way I would ever fall to the level of those cannibals.

I glanced around me, looking up to see rays of sunshine breaking through the tall trees, warming the water. I listened as the mermaids around me sang an ancient song of love between a human and a mermaid. A rarity amongst out kind, especially now. The song ended with a tale of how the mermaid was betrayed by her beloved, in exchanged for gold and treasures, she was strapped to a boat. She died that way, the human, realizing his mistake, threw himself into the oceans because he was so overwhelmed with guilt. At least, that's how the song goes.

I secretly wondered if elves were the same way, if they would betray love for treasures and money. According to father, his father had witnessed some of the Kinslayings that occurred in Arda. The place, according to grandfather, had been called Doriath. A Sindarin Elven realm. Doriath was invaded and destroyed be a group of Elves called, the Sons of Fëanor, who wanted the Silmaril. When the King of Doriath, Dior, refused to give them the Silmaril, a second kinslaying occurred, all for a Silmaril that had been made by Fëanor. Never in the history of mermaids had a kinslaying occurred, yes there was competition and threats over territory. We see it as useless and weakening by fighting each other, rather than fighting the true enemy.

The Second Kinslaying had ended many years ago, it could be assumed that times had changed. I was certain they were probably not as divided, elves looked peaceful and very amiable. From personal experience, I knew looks could be deceiving, I would know. I have used innocence and beauty to my advantage many times before. Slaying countless Orcs who had been entranced by my beauty. The moment they let their very weak guard down, I slayed them. At first, it had been something I had felt guilty about. After many years though, I have become adjusted and convinced myself I do it out of revenge for my mother. Sometimes I find me asking myself, _how many do I have to kill to have revenge? Will there ever be enough?_ I know, in my heart, that it will never be enough. I will have to one day move on, if I continue this lifestyle I will die childless, and I know it. It is not time though, not yet. I must continue to guard this land that the Valar has gifted us, I must protect it from evil.

With a newfound confidence, I rose from the waters to see plains on one side of us, and Mellyrn trees on the other, we had finally reached the Nimrodel. I could tell, the rush of water sang a song of sadness and longing. A song that was all too familiar.

"Greetings, mermaids and mermen!" A familiar voice called out. I turned to see Haldir again, in warden uniform. His hair was braided back on both sides of his head, and I was suddenly charmed by how handsome he looked. "An orc attack is expected in a week, tonight I will return to talk to you about how we will counter attack." Haldir said sternly, his silver eyes now a cold steel, no longer the same bright silver from last night.

I moved towards the shore to apologise to him, when he looked over at me. Haldir fixed me with a harsh stare, emotionless, then he turned and walked away. Instantly, I knew he was angry at me by the way he looked at me, and I had the slightest feeling that father may have said something to him. I shivered at the thought, had I lost a friend?

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**Well, that was chapter four! So what did you guys think, please review, I would love to hear your opinion!**


	5. The Fellowship

**Author's Note: Sorry for the very late chapter guys, I was pretty much consumed with school work this week!**

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"Unfortunately, a change of plans is in order!" An all too familiar voice called out. I turned along with my other mermaids and mermen to see Haldir standing there. A good number of wardens dressed in similar clothing at his sides. Haldir still looked the same Haldir I had witnessed six days ago, except he looked a bit more stoic and serious, if that was even possible. For a moment everyone was silent, staring at each other. "We have just received word from Lady Galadriel that the Fellowship of the Ring will arrive in the late afternoon. You are to let them pass safely, you may alert them of your presence, but make sure they refill their water skins. They should only rest for only an hour, then hurry into Lórien. The Orcs should arrive by evening. They are a large number, hide, make sure they do not see you. After they pass, you may attack from behind, we will have them pinned between the Nimrodel and the Mellyrn. You are not to leave a single one alive." Haldir ordered his silver eyes looking around, "Understood?"

"Mostly." I spoke loudly, moving closer to the shore, and raising myself to a slightly taller height. "Who is this, Fellowship of the Ring? We have not heard of it." I asked, a few murmurs of agreement behind me.

Haldir looked at me for a moment, a little surprised, but he quickly hid it with a mask of indifference. "The Fellowship of the Ring, is a group of nine walkers who have agreed to protect the One Ring, Sauron's Ring, from evil. They are bringing it to Mount Doom, where it will be destroyed. The Fellowship is made up of four hobbits, two humans, a wizard, an elf, and a dwarf." Haldir spoke the last group member with distaste. I resisted the urge to grin, dwarves and elves had a very long rivalry together. "Any other questions?" Haldir asked.

"Not at the moment." I replied, turning away, and with that the elves left.

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Noon came very quickly, within a few hours. I brushed through my golden hair one last time, before I looked over at the plains before us, I could see figures moving, moving fast. From where I was I could only see eight figures, _perhaps the ninth was dragging behind_? I wondered as they came closer, they were obviously running. "The fellowship is coming!" I told my group, they were all quick to jump off of the rocks and watch from the crystal waters. I was the only one who was above the water, watching as they approached closer. Still, no ninth walker. Now I was a little worried, were the orcs on their tails? Four really small figures were the first to get to the Nimrodel. I watched with amusement, they had not noticed me yet. All four of the small creatures had short, curly hair. I immediately assumed they were hobbits. The first creature who made it to the Nimrodel shouted with joy. He quickly scooped water out of the Nimrodel and into his water skin. He took a small sip, and grinned. "The water here is much better than the water in Rivendell, Pippin!" The hobbit exclaimed. I chose that moment to make myself known. I rose forward from the water, I saw the Hobbit out of fear drop the water skin into the clear waters. I glanced at him, he stared at me, and I quickly dove under the water for the water skin. Snatching it, I went back to the surface, the hobbit taking a few steps back. Three other hobbits now at his side.

"What is it, Merry?" One asked, curiously staring at the said hobbit who had dropped his water skin and was staring at me. The other two hobbits stared at me.

"I believe this is yours." My voice came out almost musically like, I flashed him a smile when he blushed. I extended my hand to him, and he grabbed the water skin, "T-Thank you Miss-I mean..uh...Mermaid." The hobbit stuttered out.

"You are most welcome, young hobbit." I moved away from the shore as four other figures joined them.

"I can't believe it, I have not seen one of these in many years!" A rough voice exclaimed. I looked up for the owner of the voice, a human, of course. He had light brown hair and gray-blue eyes, his appearance reminded me of a ruffian in my eyes. I eyed him suspiciously.

"Of course you haven't, you have lost their trust!" Another voice stated. I looked to the left to see a tall man, dressed like a human, I had heard of him the other day, when we paused for a break. Some mermaids called him Strider, he had saved a mermaid trapped in a net a decade ago. He had blue eyes and dark brown hair.

"You are correct." I smiled, and nodded, "My name is Calaereth." I paused giving a hand signal, and my people joined me. "We are guarding the Nimrodel, how far are the orcs behind you?"

I finally noticed the elf in the group, with long, golden hair, and blue eyes. He turned his head, looked back and then back at me. "Only a few leagues, we have time to rest lightly, then we must move into Lothlórien." His voice was light, not as strong as Haldir's I noted to myself.

I nodded in understanding, "Very well, they are expecting you soon." With that the fellowship settled down for a break.

* * *

"How old are you?" A hobbit I came to know as Merry, asked me eagerly.

I raised an eyebrow, "Don't you know it is impolite to ask for a woman's age?" I asked.

"Oh! I'm sorry miss, I forgot you're a mermaid!" Merry quickly apologised.

I laughed, "I am jesting, Merry. I am almost two thousand years old." I stated, watching with interest as their eyes widened. Even the dwarf looked surprised. "Almost." I reminded them.

"At such an age, you are still beautiful, miss." A hobbit I knew as Sam, told me.

"Thank you." I laughed.

"Did the mermaids get a ring?" A hobbit suddenly asked, who I knew as Frodo, the ring bearer, asked me.

"No, we were highly suspicious of Sauron, so we refused to accept anything from him." I said, glancing around to see Aragorn, or Strider, talking to my brother. Strider was obviously telling him a story.

"Do you think we'll meet again?" Pippin asked.

I shrugged slightly, "Perhaps, I hope so. You are very delightful company."

"I hope so." Pippin grinned, "I would love to hear your stories."

I laughed, "Perhaps Pippin, maybe when this war is over."

After almost an hour of talking and jesting, the fellowship packed up, and left. As the sun began to set, I looked towards the plains, where black figures began to emerge, orcs. They were coming, and quickly. I could smell them already, that rotten smell. I grabbed my weapons, sharpened stones that were like arrows heads. I kept my daggers for close combat. Our first battle in Lothlórien was approaching, and I was slightly fearful.

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**Author's Note: Please Review, I would love to have your feedback!**


	6. The Battle

**Author's Note:**

**HaruHaruxLove**** - You totally frightened me when I saw, "I was slightly disappointed..." I was like oh no, you didn't like it. Then I saw you were disappointed about the chapter length, I laughed. I'm glad you were looking forward to an update, and hopefully this battle scene is epic enough for you! I'm happy you like the story line, and I am slowly developing the story line I try not to plunge right into relationships, I'm afraid of the story looking rushed. So hopefully the relationship between Calaereth and Haldir will gradually develop and not be too slow. Thanks for the lovely review! :)**

**ShadowHunter11x**** - Thanks for following my story! :)**

**PurpleFairy11**** - Thank you for your constant support, I appreciate it! I'm glad you like it, and thanks again for the encouraging review!**

**Allthatisgoldoesntglitter**** - Haha yes! Some action! Thats a normal thing to want! Glad you love the story so far, here's the chapter, thanks for the awesome review! :)**

**Dangerous Cheeseball**** - I'm sorry the chapter was short, lol, it was little last-minute. I'm glad you liked it though. I like to think her scales are more of a dark aqua color, and I always thought of some kind of top that she wears, I'm not sure, maybe a tube top? I may have mentioned her eyes are more of a hazel, but I doubt I have. Hey, you can imagine her however you like, I do not mind, LOL. Thanks for such a wonderful review again, I am ever so thankful! :)**

**Sisi Snape**** - Yes, this is the fight chapter, thanks for you patience! Yes, I am planning for some romance between the two, unfortunately I can only have two genres, maybe I will switch adventure to romance soon. Thanks for the idea, and I am always happy to have advice from the reviewers, it helps me shape the story to more of your interest! Glad you liked it, here's the chapter! :)**

**BlueRoseofWinter**** - Yes, hopefully you liked my description of how the mermaids fight, I figure looks can only go so far. You helped me point out a few disadvantages here, so thanks for the feedback! Thank you for such a lovely review, and here's the next chapter! :)**

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Everyone scrambled quickly into their hiding spots, and soon enough the waters were dead silent, except for the current overhead. I closed my eyes shut for a moment, I was a good warrior, but I dreaded fighting. In every fight, I knew I was going to lose someone I knew. It always happened, and I began to learn to accept that fact, no matter how much it devastated me. In the history of all our skirmishes with evil creatures, someone always died. Someone always lost their immortality for our freedom. We always mourn after the death of our kind, some merpeople may mourn up to a month. Like elves, our hearts are fragile for the ones we love, and some merpeople have faded. I still wonder how my father has not faded totally, maybe he is so bent on revenge he is able to forget for moments of time. I know he misses mother, I can see it in his eyes. He is fading, slowly, he too will have to make the journey to Valinor or he will die. I fear for him, I hope he will not perish in this war.

"Thud!Thud!Thud!" The thoughts of my father instantly leave me as adrenaline runs through my veins at the sound of the footsteps of orcs. I press myself even closer to the side of the shore, I flatten myself totally, blending in with the environment. I close my eyes, sending a small prayer for safety to the Valar, then I opened my eyes watching as the Orcs stepped into the Nimrodel. I scowled, did they ever learn? My nails scratched at the wet mud in the shore, I held myself back from charging forward and attacking them. I blinked back the image of my mother, and I focused on the task on hand. I watched closely as many more dirty, black, boots stepped in the water, polluting it. Then they stepped on land. More and more feet came, and I had to stop myself from looking to see how many more were coming. I took a deep breath, then relaxed for a small moment. I watched as one last pair of feet wobbled in the water then out. Rising slowly, I glanced at the orcs heading into the woods, then I glanced back. No more orcs, the battle would begin. I made a signal for my fellow merpeople to attack. Picking my sharpest arrowhead, I tossed it in my hand, and threw it at an orc with amazing accuracy. I watched with satisfaction as it pierced right through the weak armor and into the orcs neck, killing it instantly. Not a moment after, an arrow hissed through the air and killed the leader orc. Then, the chaos began.

Yells and cries of battle echoed throughout the area. The orcs were hopelessly trapped. Arrows came at the orcs from all angles, and at a constant rate. Rocks, metals, tree limbs, and other dangerous weapons that could be made from an underwater environment were thrown at the orcs from the river. I was surprised when they turned on us, suddenly ignoring the elves. The first orc that came to me, laughed harshly. "Mermaids!" That was all I allowed him to say. Without warning, I leaped forward, grabbed his ankle and pulled him into the Nimrodel roughly, and with force. I snarled at the orc, causing him to look slightly shocked. Within moments, I had snapped his neck with great strength. Casting his dead body aside, I turned to find another orc facing me. An angry sneer on his face. He raised his bow to shoot me, when out of no where, my brother lunged forward, tackling him. I felt my mouth drop open as Hithaeron killed him without a second thought. Hithaeron gave me a huge brotherly like grin, and then went back to the fighting. Perhaps he was not as innocent as I thought. Grimly, I turned back to the battle at hand.

Now arrows were literally raining upon the orcs, and some elves had dropped out of the trees to fight the orcs with swords. Very well crafted elven swords. I was impressed by the elves' swordmanship. Even in battle they were graceful, it almost looked like a dance. A deadly dance. Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I brought my dagger up to stab a orc who had jumped forward in his attempt to catch me off guard and kill me. I pulled my dagger out and killed another orc right after another. They kept coming and coming, the smell of blood was beginning to strengthen. I knew soon enough I would see it's color cruelly staining the waters and the land. I was beginning to wonder when their numbers would end. I looked around, and I was relieved to find only a few left, one was retreating right past me. Without a second thought, I stabbed him in the back, and I shoved his dead body onto the land. That is when it happened. I should have saw it coming, but I didn't. My attention had been preoccupied a moment too long.

A rough hand caught my arm and suddenly pulled me out of the water. I was then thrown roughly onto land. I let out a gasp of surprise, and I instantly felt a burning sensation of being out of the water. I let out a cry in pain, it burned, everything burned. I clasped my hands over my small gills on the back of my neck, and I looked up to see my attacker. Another orc. He grinned down at me, his yellow teeth flashing menacingly. I nearly groaned in disbelief at my horrible luck, would I die here?

"Not so strong now, are you little girl?" He pulled his arrow back, and held onto his bow. "I'm going to kill you right in front of all these elves. Then maybe, I'll eat you. I haven't had mermaid in a while." The orc laughed at the idea. Then, suddenly I felt a presence at my side, and I saw a sword cut the orcs head cleanly off. I watched in pain as his head rolled away, and his body collapsed instantly.

I turned my head to look at my savior, looking up I saw concern in blazing silver eyes, Haldir. I opened my mouth to tell him to put me in the water, but he seemed to already know. He dropped his sword onto the ground, and kneeled forward. One arm went under my back, and I was surprised when another arm went under the curve of my tail. With obvious strength, he scooped me up off of the ground and for a moment my pain dulled as I maintained eye contact with him. I hoped he could see how grateful I was in my eyes. In a few long strides, he kneeled over again, and gently set me back into the water.

I let myself sink under the water for a moment. Allowing my body to adjust, I came right back up out of the water. "Thank you." I breathed, watching as his silver eyes were flooded with relief.

"You are very welcome." Haldir spoke directly, and a small grin was on his face before his eyes shifted their gaze onto the dead bodies. Even though I didn't want to move away from the handsome elf, I knew it was in my best interest to do so. I turned just in time to be embraced by my brother. I gave a small laugh and patted his back approvingly.

"You did well for your first battle, Hithaeron." I smiled down at him.

"Thanks." Hithaeron grinned, "I was better than you."

"Oh I wouldn't go that far." I scoffed, then looked around the carnage, dreading what I knew I would see. In the water, lay two dead merpeople, one a mermaid, the other a merman. I looked further to see their hands entwined. I bit my lip to hold back the tears that would surely come, I knew the young couple, playmates of mine. They had announced their marriage only a few months ago, the Valar had also graced her with a child. I closed my eyes, trying to banish the image of the couple from my mind, but still I could see them. They were together, even in death.

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**That is chapter six! I cannot wait to hear from my inspiring reviewers again! Tell me what you guys think! :)**


	7. The Prophecy

**Author's Note:**

**PurpleFairy11**** - Thank you for such a kind review! I can't wait to hear more from you!**

**Dangerous Cheeseball**** - Your review made me laugh so hard! Less than 24 hours, LOL. I'm glad you like the small interaction between Haldir and Calaereth that I fit in there! Thanks for such a lovely review! :)**

**BlueRoseofWinter**** - I'm glad that you liked the chapter and you didn't think the rescue was too cheesy or anything. Sorry the chapter ended sadly, hopefully this chapter will not be too sad either. Thank you for favoriting my story! Thanks for the wonderful review! :)**

**Bob Magee**** - Thank you for such a supportive review! I'm honored to be the first mermaid story you've read, hahaha, glad you like it. Here's the next chapter! :)**

**i am Fire-jay**** - Thank you for following and favoriting my story! That is so kind of you! :)**

**Astraea Concord**** - Yes the last chapter was short, I will admit to it, hahaha. Sorry that this one is even shorter, sorry, lack of inspiration right now. I'm glad you find the story fascinating, hopefully through the chapters I can reveal more about their culture to you! Thanks for such a wonderful review! :)**

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A service was held for both the merpeople and the elf that had died in the small skirmish. The elves had been more lucky, only losing one elf, sadly, a young warden. Many more of them had been wounded. Our fatalities were now at three, counting my two friends, and a young merman who died of a fatal wound. Not even the elves had been able to prevent his passing. The elves were very respectful and buried our kind with care, I had supervised to make sure they were properly taken care of. To my surprise I did not have to say anything to them, they were very gentle and were quiet during our mourning. I did not hear a single warden complain.

After our mourning had ended days later, Haldir informed me that morning, that I was to head back to Nimrodel with a few merpeople of my choosing. Haldir also told me that Galadriel needed to speak to me soon, and it could not wait any longer. Choosing my brother and a couple of young mermaids, we set off towards the Celebrant, heading to Caras Galadhon.

* * *

We arrived in Caras Galadhon by evening and I was surprised to find Galadriel standing at the shore nodding in acknowledgement to me. Then again, I shouldn't have been surprised she always seems to know where to be at certain times. I made brief goodbyes to my brother and my friends. Once they had left the area temporarily, I turned back to Galadriel and swam up to the shore to meet her.

"You have summoned me." I stated, looking up at her, awaiting an explanation.

"It is time you hear the prophecy I told your mother many years ago. It is time you learn why your birth into this world was so important and why you were kept away from me for many years." Galadriel looked me in the eye. I knew at that moment, I would not like what I was going to hear. "The Valar knew a second war of the Ring was coming, even during the first one. They knew we could not rely on the humans to cast away the ring, foreseeing Isildur's death, they gifted your mother with a daughter. A mermaid that would become one of the best fighters amongst her kind. She would be named, Calaereth, which means Light of the Sea. For Calaereth would become the light of hope for many in these dark times to come. Her light will be so bright that many will follow her into battle and die for the destruction of the Ring. She will inspire many to join this war and fight against the rising evil." Galadriel paused allowing me to process this information for a moment.

I stared at her in shock, my eyes wide. Never would I have thought that I would be this important, I had never dreamed of it. I would not have the great leadership role my brother will inherit, I was certain I would be married off to a leader of another group of mermaids. This information though, changed every thought and perspective I ever had. It made sense, why I had never been around elves until now, almost 2,000 years later. I had been exposed to humans, but never to elves.

"You, Calaereth, will play a large role in this war. The prophecy also goes on to say you will lead a battle along with other great leaders, the battle will be a turning point in this war. This turning point will alter the outcome of this war. For Middle-Earth to remain out of Sauron's hands, forever, you must help us. You must fight in this battle." Galadriel advised.

"A battle? I was born to win a battle? What battle, how can I fight in this battle?" I asked eagerly, my interest peaking.

"The battle of Helms Deep, a city filled with humans. They will lose if we(the elves) do not provide aid. You must fight there." Galadriel said.

"Helms Deep? How am I supposed to fight in a human city that is carved into a mountain? There are no rivers that can bring me there!" I questioned, puzzled.

"That is where the rest of the prophecy provides more information." Galadriel looked away, "To fight these battles you need legs to bring you there, you cannot travel by water to Helms Deep. The Valar has made an exception for you, and only for you. You can be changed into an elf during the war. Once this war is won, you could be given the final option between the life as an elf, or as you were, a mermaid. The decision is all yours, just remember, being an elf can be temporary or permanent, it is your option."

"If I do accept this prophecy." I paused, "What will happen?"

"You will be trained for a full month and a half, you will have to learn in that small span of time to shoot well with a bow, and use a sword. You will reside in Lothlórien, with our Marchwarden, so he can train you as many times as he sees fit. That is, if you accept your prophecy." Galadriel summarized.

"And if I do not?" I dared to ask. "Then what will happen?"

"You will go back to Nimrodel with your people. You will guard there, a little less than two months later we will still send Elven troops into Helms Deep. They will all perish in the battle, including Haldir, our Marchwarden." Galadriel paused briefly, allowing the horror of the situation to set in. "Saruman will take Helm's deep, but the Rohirrim and Gandalf will come to the rescue. Only one elf will survive, Legolas, of Mirkwood. No elf from Rivendell or Lothlórien will survive the battle. The war will eventually be won, but more casualties will be caused due to your denial." Galadriel looked at me coldly in the eye, "Are you willing to make such a sacrifice for your own wants?"

"How much time do I have to choose?" I asked.

"Till the dawn of tomorrow, every day wasted, is another day that could have been spent preparing you. You will come to me with an answer tomorrow, understood?" Galadriel asked.

"Unfortunately." I frowned, then nodded before disappearing under the waters. I told my brother and the mermaids that had accompanied me to Lórien, that they were to head back to Nimrodel. Hugging my brother goodbye, I watched tearful as he left, his words echoing in my ears.

_"Geez sister, you act like it will be the last time you will ever see me again." Hithaeron laughed, then left._

Now, I was all alone, to make a life-changing decision. It did not take long though, within hours, I made my final choice. Before I knew it, it was dawn, and sunlight was fast approaching. Galadriel waited for me, on the shore.

"What is your decision?" Galadriel asked, a knowing look in her eyes, telling me she already knew what path I would follow.

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**Sorry, this chapter was awfully short as well, but the next chapter will hopefully be much longer! Tell me what you guys think! :)**


	8. Decisions

**Author's Note: :)**

**LeafDragonSamurai**** - Thanks for following my story! :)**

**Marie**** - Yup, thats how hahaha, hope you like this chapter as much as you did the last! Thanks for the wonderful review again! :)**

**i am a Fire-jay**** - Sorry, I just would like to see what you guys think of her decision may be, I am so guilty of writing cliff hangers too, so LOL sorry! Sorry for the wait, here is the chapter! Thanks for such a nice review! :)**

**BlueRoseofWinter**** - Thanks, I am so glad you liked the chapter! You may be right LOL, but I cannot say! I may be the writer but I like to take my reviewer's thoughts into mind, it helps shape my writing! Glad you like the chapter and thanks again for the great suggestions! Thank you for such a lovely review again! :)**

**Dangerous Cheeseball**** - LOL, sorry for the disappointment! Sorry for the inconvenience as well, now that you have to check your emails, bahahaha I'm so evil! I'm glad you liked my choice for the main character, I thought it might be more interesting and creative. I felt like I had more options with it! Here's the update, thank you for your patience! Thanks for the encouraging review again!**

**Sisi Snape - Yes hahaha this is how, thank you for such a great review again! Here's the update :)**

**Astraea Concord**** - Awww thanks, and I will have to try that soon. LOL Fish out of water, good one. Thanks for the lovely review again! :)**

**MoonWarriorLuna**** - Thanks for following my story! :)**

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"What is your decision?" Galadriel asked, a knowing look in her eyes, telling me she already knew what path I would follow.

"I will accept the prophecy, and be an elf for the span of this war." I told her, looking right into her eyes. A smile spread across her face at the answer.

"That is wonderful." Galadriel nodded behind me, "Swim into the sun, Calaereth, the light will give you legs, and seal the prophecy."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised, going into the sunlight would transform me? Deciding to try it, I dived under the glittering waters, and came up, expecting to feel some kind of burning to tell me that my tail was gone, but instead it was strange and tingling. I could feel the ancient magic of the elves through me, then I realized I could no longer breath under the water. Panicking, I rushed for the surface of the water. Once I did, I took a large gasp of air, realizing I had more control of my lower body. I looked down with wide eyes to see two long, pale legs. I let out a cry of shock, as I noticed I could control them and kick them to stay above the water.

I looked up at Galadriel with a smile on my face, my laughter echoing throughout the forest. Galadriel's musical laughter chimed in as well.

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"Marchwarden Haldir will arrive at noon, after refreshing, he will escort you to the dining halls to eat the afternoon meal. Is there anything you need, Lady Calaereth?" The warden asked politely at the door of the Marchwarden's talan.

"No thank you." I smiled, "Thank you for escorting me, warden." I gave a small curtsy, grabbing at the light gown I was wearing. In just hours I was learning how to act around these elves.

"My pleasure." The warden grinned and bowed before leaving.

I smiled and entered the talan, and then closed the door behind me. My eyes widened in wonder, at the beautifully carved talan. The ceilings were high, and it was mostly crafted out of wood. There was a large rug spread across the floor, a mellorn leaf was woven in the middle. I leaned down tracing the the outlines of the leaf for a moment before straightening back up. I walked towards the stairs, I was starting to get used to the interesting structures, for I had climbed many stairs just to get here. The stairs wound around in a full circle and I found another level. This one was less decorated than the first room. Somehow, I knew it was Haldir's bedroom. The bed was dressed in blue sheets, there were weapons hanging upon the walls. I lingered for a moment, my eyes admiring the simple but beautiful room.

I went up the stairs one last time to find one last level, the guest room. The bed was decorated in ruby colored sheets. I was fascinated to find a veil around the bed. I quickly ran over to the bed and pulled apart two separate pieces of the veil, I touched the bed, marveling at the silken sheets. I nearly squealed in fascination, before moving away. I looked at a large closet, at least that is what humans called them, I walked over to it and pulled open the wooden doors.

I was shocked to find ten dresses inside, three were very formal dresses, the seven were regular wear. There was also some leggings and tunics inside for when I began my training. Looking over the dresses, I picked out a regular dark green one that had caught my eye. The material was velvet, a luxury I had only seen from afar. It was soft to the touch, and I knew it would be the first real dress I would wear in Lothlórien. I easily slipped the velvet dress on over my under dress, the velvet dress was form-fitting but at the same time not so form-fitting it looked tight. I looked up, surprised to see a reflective surface in a wooden frame, a mirror. I leaned closer, looking now with interest to see that the dress fit my new slender elven form very well. My brown eyes seemed to glow, my skin was almost radiant. I brushed at my wavy golden hair that seemed a brighter color now, I found a brush on a night stand. Every once and a while when I pulled my hair back I could see my pointed elven ears, proof of my new race. I gently pulled the brush through my hair, causing my waves to become thicker and softer. I smiled, and finished brushing, putting the brush away. I walked towards the balcony, in which my eyes were now focused on. Opening the glass doors I looked out to see sunlight filtering through the trees and shining upon Lothlórien. I closed my eyes for a moment as a warm breeze found it's way to me, lightly playing with my hair before going into the talan. Turning back inside, I closed the glass doors and went back down stairs.

Noon was fast approaching and I was looking forward to seeing Haldir again. I sat down in one of the large chairs, so comfortable I almost sank into it. I smoothed out my dress and grabbed the nearest book, flipping through it. The elven language was written in it, both Quenya and Sindarin. I was able to decipher some of the book, but I quickly became bored and stopped reading. Skipping through pages I finally found interesting sketches, drawn by an experienced hand. I was suddenly interested to find drawings of trees, rabbits, flowers, leaves and other small parts of nature. In the middle of my admiring, the door suddenly opened. Jumping up from my spot, I set the book aside and faced Haldir.

Haldir paused in the doorway at the sight of me, then he closed the door. "I could hardly believe it when the Lady told me you would be here. But here you are, as an elf!" Haldir stated his eyes examining me as if expecting me to be a hoax. "Elven lifestyle suits you very well." Haldir complemented me, and I blushed slightly. Haldir bowed, "I will go bathe and I will escort you to our noon meal, then we can come back, get a few weapons and train for the rest of the daylight left. We will return here and then I will show you how to draw a bath, and we will establish a schedule. Does that sound agreeable to you?" Haldir asked.

"Yes." I answered, and nodded in agreement. I looked at Haldir to see him still staring at me, as if broken from reverie, Haldir blinked and quickly turned on his heel. I watched as he left quickly and disappeared around the bend of the stairs. I looked at where he had been a moment ago, not understanding his reason for such an abrupt departing. I shrugged, maybe he was in a hurry to get a bath. I reached for the book again.

* * *

About fifteen minutes later Haldir came down the stairs, I turned to see him dressed in a light gold tunic and pants. Leather boots underneath, his light blond hair was straight and slightly damp, both sides pulled back in braids. I felt my mouth part slightly at his handsome appearance. Haldir looked more like a Lord, than ever.

"I am leaving now, whether you are ready or not." Haldir announced, and I bolted for my tan colored flats. Slipping them on quickly, I stumbled after him out the door, he stood outside on the porch looking amused at my hurried expression. Haldir grinned and held an arm out in invitation, "Shall we?" He asked.

I stared at his suddenly charming demeanor, then I stepped forward, hooking my arm with his. It was a different and entirely fresh feeling. For some reason, I really enjoyed it, being close to Haldir. I felt a totally unusual and new sense of security. I was surprised at first, to find Haldir seemed to know everyone in the city. It made sense though, as Marchwarden he often saw to who could enter or leave Lothlórien. We were nearly stopped by everyone, Haldir greeted them using their names. Still on Haldir's arm I waited patiently as he finished talking to a warden. Soon we found our way to the dining hall, a large building in one of the bigger trees.

Already a good number of elves were inside, eating. I was confused by how even when they were eating they could look so elegant. I let out a small sigh of irritation, wishing I had been taught more table manners beyond eating with merpeople. Haldir, hearing my sigh, glanced down at me and gave me a comforting smile. His arm pulled out of the formal hook, and instead he now grabbed my hand. Haldir gave my hand a comforting squeeze before leading me towards what I knew had to be the main table. I was slightly unnerved by all the stares that were now on me. Haldir guided me towards a tall chair, which was next to Galadriel. Haldir politely pulled out the chair for me and gestured for me to sit. Completely new to this custom I sat down, and I nearly squeaked when he pushed in the chair for me. Haldir smiled softly, and walked to the other side of the table and sat across from me, Haldir sat next to Lord Celeborn.

After a small prayer, Galadriel suddenly raised her goblet that was filled with elven wine. "As you may have noticed, we have someone new joining us tonight." Galadriel nodded towards me, "Her name is Calaereth and she will be staying here for a hopefully long time. Welcome to Lothlórien, Calaereth." Galadriel smiled, other elves spoke similar greetings to me. I replied in thanks, and the noon meal began. The Lothlórien elves had a variety of foods such as: Fish, breads, soups, and a great variety of green vegetables. I observed the way the ellith(plural for female elves) ate, I began to copy them, starting to understand how to eat at meals such as these. The silver ware, was cool to the touch and it was used to pick up solid foods. Not for combing my hair with. A spoon was used for the liquids, like the soups. A knife was used to cut the solid foods into smaller pieces that make it easier to fit the food into your mouth. Soon enough I became confident in my eating manners and I started to listen to the conversation in front of me.

"If I may ask, where are your grandsons now? They entered the city last night, but I have not seen them since." Haldir's deep voice asked. I looked over at Galadriel who exchanged a smile with Celeborn.

"They are out hunting, they would like to bring back some meat for our evening meal. As you know those two cannot stay somewhere for too long, they enjoy hunting." Galadriel said to Haldir and then looked over at Celeborn, "I think I know where they get it from."

Celeborn chuckled, "Hey, someone had to teach them!"

I grinned at the memory of my first hunt with my grandfather, it had been pure joy to see his face when I captured a fish. The look of pride on his face is still engraved into my memory. Ever since I took every chance to go out hunting with him. It had saddened me when he left for Valinor with his wife, my grandmother, centuries ago.

I listened to their conversations with a new curiosity, elven life was quite interesting.

* * *

**Ok, that was chapter eight! What did you guys think?**


	9. Training

**Author's Note:**

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**Just a little experimenting with third person POV, tell me what you think, whether or not you like it written this way!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, only my OC Calaereth, the rest belongs to JRR Tolkien.**

* * *

"The first thing you need to learn, is how to fight with a sword." Haldir instructed, tossing Calaereth an elven sword. She caught it easily with her quick reflexes, luckily it was not very heavy. Calaereth eyed it, running a slim finger along it's cool blade. Taking a step back she let her hand swing it down quickly, she smiled at the "whoosh" sound it made as it cut through the air.

Then the sound of a sword being unsheathed was heard. Calaereth paused, she looked to see Haldir pulling out his more beautifully crafted sword gracefully. The sword was slightly curved but still quite long, the handle was crafted with golden curves on the dark wood. "Seeing the way you just carelessly swung your sword around, I think we should start with the proper stance." Haldir commented, noticing she was very amateur when it came to swords. That could be expected of a former mermaid, though.

Calaereth rolled her eyes in fake annoyance, but ended up grinning. Calaereth learned quickly to hold her sword down in a correct stance, and how to make proper swings to fight. Haldir was a wonderful instructor, always patient and very good at correcting the problems. Calaereth's sword swipes were already becoming sharp and quick, no longer clumsy and slow.

"Now that you are able to use the sword properly, mostly. I am going to show you how to disarm someone." Haldir nodded, "Swing at me." Haldir nodded, confident she needed to be introduced to this before the sun set.

Calaereth raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Did you just invite me to hit you? I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you."

Haldir scoffed at that thought, "You should be more worried about me hurting you. Now go on, try it."

Calaereth, being a little irritated at that small comment, attacked him. To her great surprise, Haldir quickly dodged and brought his sword up from under Calaereth's, and hit it upwards at a stronger force that Calaereth had not been expecting. Her hand, still holding the sword, was forced backwards, and Haldir pointed his sword at her neck. "You were wide open." Haldir critiqued.

Calaereth frowned, "You cannot expect me to be as good as you on the first day of training."

"No." Haldir pulled his sword away, "But I can expect you not to let your emotions get the better of yourself." Haldir stated, becoming a little irritated himself. As if it was not bad enough she did not have any sword experience, she had an attitude that made his patience run thin. Haldir was beginning to question her ability to fight.

"Haldir!" Two voices suddenly called out in unison. Both Haldir and Calaereth turned at the same time to see two identical figures approaching, who Haldir knew as Elladan and Elrohir. Unfortunately, Calaereth did not know them. So Calaereth, never witnessing twins before, was certain she was going crazy.

"_Oh no. I'm going insane, there's two of them! They are exactly the same_!" Calaereth thought to herself as she took a step back in fear when their gazes suddenly locked on her. Elladan and Elrohir had black hair, like that of a dark night. They both had the same silver eyes, and the exact same features. Both the same height, and build. They were handsome elves as well. "Who...who are they?" Calaereth asked Haldir.

Haldir grinned down at Calaereth, realizing she had obviously never been exposed to twins. "They are the sons of Elrond, Lord of Imladris. Elladan and Elrohir, I am afraid I cannot tell you which one is which."

"Who is the beautiful elleth, that is joining you today?" One of them asked Haldir, one looking at Haldir. The other looking at Calaereth, assessing her. Which caused Calaereth much discomfort.

Haldir noticed right away and felt a twinge of jealousy and was flooded with the instinct to shield her from their critical eyes. Without a second thought, Haldir stepped infront of her protectively, "She is under my training, Elladan and Elrohir. She is not seeking any company right now." Haldir stated firmly, knowing Calaereth may not know the difference between friendship and intended courtship. Calaereth had more to focus on than just fighting if the sons of Elrond pursued her.

"We will not disturb you any further then." Haldir assumed that was Elladan, since he seemed the more sensible of the two. Elladan nodded, and quickly left, Elrohir at his side. Not before Elrohir flashed a grin at Calaereth causing her to blink at the sudden expression. She turned back to Haldir, who had his eyes narrowed at the assumed Elrohir.

"Haldir?" Calaereth called him.

"What?" Haldir asked, still watching the twins leave the training grounds.

"I don't really like the sons of Elrond." Calaereth stated bluntly.

"Nor do I." Haldir muttered under his breath, remembering the two sons as elflings when they visited Lothlórien. The two were often wrecking havoc upon the usually peaceful Lórien. Even today Haldir frowns at their names, the two were still pranksters to this very day, they just become better at it. Haldir's mouth twitched slightly, remembering one of their immature pranks. The two sons had taken all the towels and clothes from the ellith who had been bathing in one of the springs. The she-elves had refused to leave the springs and go into the city naked, so Galadriel had made it Haldir's mission, to return all of the towels and clothing to the ellith. Finding the elflings had not been difficult, but finding out where the clothes were hidden was. Once Haldir was able to get the two trouble makers to confess, he was dismayed to find that they had scattered the clothes and towels across Caras Galadhon. With Celeborn's and Galadriel's permission, Haldir gathered as many wardens within the city as possible and started a search for the clothes. A few hours later, once all the clothes and towels had been gathered, they were returned to their original owners. Many of the ellith were thankful, so thankful, that many of his wardens were engaged to an elleth the following year.

After that incident, Glorfindel often accompanied Elrond to Lothlórien, to give the twins some serious training to keep them occupied from any pranks. Haldir shook his head, the sons had not changed much, if anything, their pranks occurred more often since their mother set sail to Valinor.

"Haldir?" Calaereth's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

Haldir turned to see her peering up at him. "Yes?"

"Are we done now?" Calaereth put on a pleading look.

"No." Haldir resisted the urge to grin at her attempts. As tempting as it was, she needed the training.

* * *

"Haldir, why do you have bathing chambers if most elves bathe in the springs?" Calaereth asked.

Haldir was once again amazed by her continuous questions. By now, one would think she knew all about Middle-Earth with all the questions she has been bombarding him with.

"As Marchwarden, I have certain privileges others do not." Haldir answered shortly.

"Which includes personal bathing chambers." Calaereth stated, watching as Haldir poured buckets of hot water that had been heated over a fire in the kitchen. After the tub was filled with hot water, Haldir stood up, grabbing a bar of soap and a glass container shampoo. Handing Calaereth a small washcloth and a towel to dry off with, Haldir left. Calaereth, puzzled for a moment, undressed, and stepped into the hot waters. The waters were soothing after all the training Haldir had pushed her to do. Calaereth was certain she would be sore tomorrow morning. Calaereth sighed, letting her head fall back against the white marble of the tub, her long golden hair falling into the water.

After relaxing, Calaereth learned quickly how to use the shampoo and soap. Now clean, she stepped out of the tub, let the water drain, and changed into the clean green dress from earlier.

* * *

Haldir escorted Calaereth to the evening meal, this time they found the twins of Elrond seated on both sides of Galadriel and Celeborn. Very uncomfortably, Calaereth sat next to one of the twins who stared at her for a moment before nodding to her, and looking back at Galadriel. Calaereth looked over at Haldir, as if hoping he could provide some support. Haldir felt a little useless, knowing all he could do was give her an encouraging look. During the evening meal, Calaereth tried to keep out of the conversations as much as possible, she did not care to have Elladan and Elrohir analyzing her. Even though she was quiet they still looked at her and Haldir was beginning to become annoyed. He knew the look that was exchanged between the two twin brothers, they were going to pick her for another prank.

"Would you like to tell me what you two are looking at?" Haldir suddenly asked, watching with slight satisfaction as the son of Elrond next to him stiffened immediately, the smirk disappearing from his face.

"Why, we were just admiring the beauty of the new elleth with us. Is there something wrong with that?" Haldir knew that had to be Elrohir, only Elrohir would make up some smooth excuse such as that.

"There is if she is uncomfortable with it." Calaereth surprised herself, her mouth opening on it's own, speaking without another thought.

Both twins seemed to be dumbstruck as well, finding out she was not as shy as she seemed.

"I..uh.. we had no idea you were uncomfortable, that was not our intention at all." Elrohir stuttered out.

At the same time, both Haldir and Calaereth fixed him with a glare. Causing Elrohir to blink in surprise before leaning away from the suddenly ominous looking Marchwarden.

The rest of the meal went along very well.

* * *

After much persuading on Calaereth's part, Haldir allowed Calaereth to braid Haldir's hair while Haldir read a book on battle tactics. The elven writing never failed to impress her with all of the unique curves and slashes. Sindarin was a beautiful language to both speak and write. Calaereth went back to the task at hand, trying to mimick one of the warrior braids she had left on one side of his head. No matter how many times she tried, she could not get the exact braid down. She was closer with every try, but it was still not the same. She huffed as she noticed a strand of hair too loose in the braid. Undoing the braid, she ran her hands through the soft, silky hair. She wouldn't tell Haldir, but she absolutely loved his hair. She envied how beautiful of a shade it was, and how well kept it was. As she tried again, she spoke to Haldir.

"Thank you." Calaereth suddenly said.

"For what?" Haldir turned his head slightly to glance at her, messing up her braid again, causing her to frown and undo it again.

"For saving me from a horrible evening meal." Calaereth spoke softly.

"It was no trouble at all." Haldir paused, closing his eyes at the feeling of her nimble fingers brushing though his hair. Haldir really enjoyed the feeling, it was comforting and nice. He refused to tell Calaereth that, he feared that she would enjoy that too much. "They needed to be reminded that I am still the Marchwarden here."

That made Calaereth laugh, "I am most sure they knew that tonight. The look on their faces was laughable!"

A low chuckle escaped Haldir's mouth, "It is quite nice to see the roles reversed isn't it?"

Calaereth smiled, "Yes." Giving up on braiding his hair, she pulled the hair on the other side of his head out of a braid so it was all down, the straight hair fell down his back and some spilling over his shoulders. She grabbed the brush, and brushed the tangles out of his hair, finishing quickly, she stood up. Stopping at the staircase, she glanced back at Haldir, her mouth drying for a moment at the sight of him. Moonlight spilling from the window into the room, onto Haldir. Making his blonde-silvery hair glow into an almost white color. His silver eyes were watching her, his skin almost glowing. Haldir reminded Calaereth of some kind of handsome hero out of a story. "Goodnight." Calaereth said quickly, heading for the stairs.

"Goodnight." Haldir murmured in awe, the image of her soft golden hair and light brown eyes still etched into his mind. Even at night, she looked beautiful, the moonlight touching her lightly. Haldir sighed, it was only the first night with her in his talan and already she was taking up all of his thoughts. Haldir blew out his candle, hoping for a deep sleep tonight. Little did he know, upstairs, Calaereth was having a very similar situation.

* * *

**Well, that is chapter nine, what do you guys think? Did you like it in third person POV or not? I would love to have your opinions on it!**


	10. Training Part 2

**Author's Note:**

**Wow, chapter ten guys! I know, it may not seem so much but to me it is a big accomplishment, LOL. Sorry for the HUGE delay, I had a horrible writer's block.**

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* * *

"Wake up." A gentle but deep voice commanded Calaereth out of the darkness.

"Mmm go away." Calaereth snuggled deeper into the sheets ignoring the voice before her.

"It is morning, we must go and train now." The familiar voice explained.

"One more hour." Calaereth muttered.

"You said that an hour ago." The voice said in amusement.

Calaereth huffed in irritation, opening her eyes, she turned. All she could see was a blur of blonde. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Calaereth quickly recognized Haldir who stared down at her, ready to train.

Calaereth assessed him for a moment, deciding he did not seem like such a threat at the moment, she turned her back on him and closed her eyes.

"Alright, I was nice." Haldir's voice said in warning, Calaereth heard the glass doors open and cool morning air suddenly rushed in. The cool air wiped out any previous feelings of sleepiness. With a loud curse, she jumped out of the bed in her light night-gown, shivering slightly. Haldir flashed a grin, closed the balcony doors and walked towards the steps.

Calaereth glared at Haldir, "You are a cruel elf!" She rubbed at her arms, warming herself after the brief exposure to the cold.

Haldir chuckled, "I've heard that one before." Then, he went down the steps leaving her to change into training clothes.

Sighing, Calaereth stretched her sore limbs, and changed, heading downstairs. She found Haldir cutting up fruit, an apple. Cutting it into two halves, and taking the core out of both sides, he tossed a slice to her. Calaereth caught it easily, and took a large bite out of it as she slipped on her boots. Parts of her long golden hair falling into her face as she bent over trying to adjust the laces in the boots.

"We are working on climbing hithlain ladders today." Haldir informed her, "I expect you to be decently quick at it by the end of the day. This will be a break from your fighting."

Calaereth's mouth fell agape at his words, her arms were terribly sore, how could he expect her to climb those?

"If you complain, I will make you run laps." Haldir said sternly.

"What are laps?" Calaereth asked, braiding back her hair quickly.

"Laps, are what I make my wardens run. Basically, you run in a circle." Haldir explained, "You can ask my wardens, it is not something you want to experience anytime soon." Haldir straightened his back. "Are you ready?"

"Not really." Calaereth admitted but followed him out the door preparing herself for the surely challenging hours to come.

* * *

"Come on, it is not that hard, just grab the rope!" Haldir demanded from above, sitting on the practice flet, the silver rope in front of Calaereth. She eyed it with obvious disdain, she had only gained her legs a day ago, and he expected her to be balanced enough to climb a ladder? Calaereth could barely climb steps.

"Easier said than done, Marchwarden." Calaereth responded, not moving an inch.

"Calaereth, up now, or you will run laps." Haldir ordered.

Not really wanting to find out how bad the laps could be just yet, Calaereth reached high, using her arms to grab onto the rope. Using her upper body strength she had gained as a mermaid, she pulled herself up far enough to set her legs on a rung of the ladder.

"That's a good start." Haldir encouraged, "Keep moving Calaereth."

Grunting in reply. Calaereth reached higher, pulling herself up onto an even higher rung. She kept up this continuous pattern, until she reached through the hole and Haldir grabbed her hand. Calaereth was surprised by how strong he was, pulling her up easily as if she was nothing but a feather. After such strenuous exercise on her already sore muscles, Calaereth sighed, laying down on the flet, taking a breath. Haldir watched her with amusement, and slight admiration. A small healthy flush stained her cheeks, proving her exhaustion. Pieces of her golden hair were falling out of the intricate braid she had woven earlier. Her golden hair was now a warmer shade of gold, with the sunlight pouring down upon her. Her pink lips were parted for breath, and an arm was folded over her eyes. Haldir pulled himself away from his thoughts quickly, looking away from her.

"Surely you cannot be ready to quit just yet." Haldir taunted, "Elladan and Elrohir are watching."

Calaereth groaned in annoyance, "Tell them to go away, the last thing I need is their scrutiny."

"Scrutiny? No, I would say more of an evaluation on their part." Haldir smirked.

Calaereth frowned at that thought. "I do not care to have them watch me climb a ladder. Considering they probably will not keep their gazes where they should be." Calaereth commented dryly.

Haldir grinned, not telling her that he was guilty of such with Calaereth. If she didn't know now, he would do his best to make sure she would not find out anytime soon. It would not serve him well if Calaereth found out he truly admired her more than he probably should. If she begged for something, he knew he would cave. There was something about her that made him truly weak. Oddly enough, he liked it, the idea of spoiling her. Perhaps he would do so later.

"Alright, you have had your break, back to work!" Haldir ordered, earning himself a groan of annoyance in response from Calaereth.

* * *

Calaereth was surprised to find how much endurance she truly had. For probably the hundredth time that day, she pulled herself up onto the flet. Haldir sat on top of the flet watching once again, only providing her advice, no longer helping her the rest of the way up.

"Good enough." Haldir stated, cutting up another apple.

"_I swear, this elf and his apples_." Calaereth thought to herself as she collapsed in relief onto the wooden flet. She realized this must be like a picnic for him,_ eat food up here while he trains me_. She frowned at that and looked over the training field that she could watch from the flet. Many wardens were training this morning, most of them practicing archery. Calaereth watched with great envy as they nailed the target with every shot. She would be extremely lucky if she could hit the target with an arrow. For a moment Calaereth was overwhelmed with hopelessness in her situation. How could she become a good enough fighter to save Haldir in the next month and a half? All of her fighting experience in her entire life had been in a familiar environment, in the water. This was completely new and foreign territory, fighting on land. The idea of fighting Orcs in elven form was slightly frightening, Calaereth felt that she was at a disadvantage.

"Don't get overwhelmed." Haldir's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts, causing Calaereth to look over at him with a raised eyebrow. _Could he read her mind_, she wondered. "You are easy to read." Haldir looked over the training field, "We do have over a month to learn, and you are a quick learner if you have the appropriate attitude."

That earned him a small glare from Calaereth.

"But other than that, you will learn fast, you may not be as good as me or my wardens in a month, but you will be good enough to defeat orcs. Just have a little faith in yourself." Haldir advised, then headed for the flet hole, "Come, we cannot miss breakfast, can we?" Haldir gave a charming grin to Calaereth, making Calaereth's heart flutter for a small moment.

Maybe training wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

* * *

Later that evening, Haldir offered to take Calaereth on a small walk through Lothlórien. She happily accepted and as they walked Calaereth suddenly heard a familiar instrument echo through Lórien.

"Do you hear that?" Calaereth asked, a look of wonder as she listened once more to the music.

Haldir looked down at her, an eyebrow raised in question at first, until he heard harps along with flutes being played in the main hall. He smirked at her, "You mean the music?" Haldir asked.

"Yes! But I recognize one of the instruments I hear!" A bright smile lighting up her face, "Yes, I remember now, a harp. We have harps, my mother always played for me when I was young." Calaereth's eyes glazed over for a moment, the memories playing over in her mind for a few brief seconds.

"Can you play the harp?" Haldir asked, entranced by the light shade of brown brought out by the lights in Caras Galadhon. It was as if her beauty doubled at night. Haldir could suddenly understand how many fell to the mermaids, their beauty was entrancing and Calaereth's especially. Calaereth had an innocent charm that could bring in any enemy she desired. Haldir knew this now.

"I can." A proud grin now shaped Calaereth's lips. "If I wasn't a warrior, I would be a harpist. Though, it has been a long time since I last played."

Haldir stared at Calaereth for a moment before glancing up at the sky. "Maybe you could play for me some time. When this war is over." Haldir suggested.

Calaereth nodded, smiling, "I would love to."

Haldir's face slowly went back to it's normal expression, the thought of the impending war ahead was enough to cause the smile to fade.

"Come Calaereth, let's head back." Haldir let her hook her arm with his, and they walked back to the talan, as the night cooled and the stars twinkled in the dark sky.

* * *

**YAY, chapter ten is done! Tell me what you guys thought! I can't wait to hear from you guys! P.S. check out my tumblr on my profile page if you have any questions for Calaereth! :)**


	11. Dreams

**Author's Note: Hurray, chapter eleven is here! Happy Memorial Day everyone! :)**

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* * *

_Rain. Rain was the first thing Calaereth felt, as it poured down upon her and the odd fortress she was in. The skies above rumbled once more as the battle raged on before her. Calaereth was surrounded by Elves and men amidst the chaos. Arrows flew in the air, the sounds of swords clashing filled the air with the eerie noise. There were orcs everywhere, there were so many. Too many. There was something different about these orcs Calaereth noticed in her dream. They were bigger, stronger, and well armed. She and the others were outnumbered by these beasts, they were slowly losing the battle._

_Calaereth was covered in the blood of her enemies and she had run out of arrows a long time ago, now she had to rely on her sword. She was becoming exhausted and quickly, the rain was doing nothing to help either. It was cold, freezing rain, and it limited her sight. Calaereth could only feel despair in her situation. It was hopeless, they would all die._

_"Retreat! Retreat to the Keep!" Haldir's voice ordered through the chaos. Calaereth turned to see him looking at her, yelling at her. Haldir looked like a handsome warrior in battle. Haldir was dressed in silver armour and a red cape decorated his soldiers. His long silver blonde hair was soaked by the rain, but his silver eyes were blazing with a fight in them that Calaereth had never witnessed before. Then her eyes shifted away from Haldir when she saw sudden movement behind him. With horror, she noticed a large orc behind him, the orc's weapon raised in attack. Instantly, Calaereth knew the orc was a large threat. She wondered why Haldir had not noticed the orc that had crept behind him, Haldir was supposed to have a good sense of awareness. Then her eyes shifted to Haldir's arm, he was wounded, and he was bleeding. The way he held his arm, Calaereth assumed it was broken. That would explain Haldir's brief distraction. Then she looked back at the orc._

_"Haldir! No!" Calaereth screamed, running towards him and everything seemed to slow down. Slowly, the orc began to bring his weapon down upon Haldir. Calaereth felt as if her body was betraying her, she was not running fast enough. Her body refused to go any faster, her muscles were weak and tired, she felt as if they would collapse at any moment. Calaereth was slow, too slow. She wouldn't make it to Haldir in time. Calaereth realized this with horror._

_It happened agonizingly slow, the axe struck Haldir on the back of the head. Haldir still looked at Calaereth, his eyes widening slightly at pain he felt. His lips parted in a silent gasp. Still he kept eye contact with her as Calaereth rushed forward catching him in time. She sobbed, as he stared at her, he was fading fast. Haldir's uninjured arm came up to touch her cheek, holding her face. Haldir's eyes memorized her face one last time, before he smiled at her. "Le melin." Haldir whispered, and his eyes glazed over in a perfect image of death._

_"No!" Calaereth screamed out into the dark, cold, and cruel night._

"Calaereth!" Haldir's voice awakened Calaereth immediately from her horrid nightmare. Calaereth's eyes snapped open as she sat up immediately her eyes wide, her breathing heavy, she was covered in a layer of sweat. She felt tears on her cheeks and knew she had cried in her sleep. Calaereth immediately looked over at Haldir who sat on the bedside, his hand on her shoulder, his silver eyes full of concern. Not the glassy look of death she had previously dreamt of. A feeling of relief quickly flooded Calaereth. Without thinking twice, Calaereth lunged forward and hugged him. Her arms were wrapped around his neck.

Haldir was surprised by the gesture, he instantly wrapped his arms around her middle, pulling her shaking frame to him. Haldir had happened to be reading when she screamed out his name. When he realized she was having a nightmare, he had quickly leapt into action. Waking her up as quickly as possible. Even though Haldir never had these bad dreams, he knew that humans often had them. Galadriel also had horrible visions as well. Haldir knew it had to be very disturbing though, he had never seen Calaereth look so distraught. Though, Haldir had not known Calaereth very long, he could infer that she was one to keep calm and take charge of things. She was after all, a natural fighter.

Haldir closed his eyes, relieved that she was safe. Haldir began to pull away, when he felt Calaereth loosen her arms around him. He looked her in the eyes, to see a calm dark shade of brown in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Haldir asked.

"I am now, thank you." Calaereth gave a small smile. Something told him otherwise, perhaps it was the fact that the smile did not reach her eyes. But Haldir decided not to push her for the information. She would tell him when she was ready.

"Well, if it worries you, you can talk to Lady Galadriel about it. She is very talented at interpreting dreams." Haldir gave a little advice, before standing up from her bed. Haldir glanced at the window, it was still very dark, but early morning. Haldir doubted she would fall back asleep anytime soon. Haldir headed for the stairs, "Get changed, then we'll go for a walk, and train while we're out. That should keep your mind off things for a while." Haldir grinned and left, leaving Calaereth pouting slightly at the thought of training so early in the morning.

* * *

_A few hours later..._

Just as Haldir had said, they began training again at the first light of dawn. Calaereth was learning more about the sword today and already she was exchanging blows with Haldir. Though it was obvious Haldir was not fully into the fight, allowing her time to recover and not hitting her sword to hard. Haldir did though, make sure to point out every flaw in her fighting.

"Do you want me to run you through? Lower your sword Calaereth, the space is too wide. I could easily hit your stomach now." Haldir scolded her.

Calaereth grumbled under her breath and lowered her sword slightly to protect her midsection. Haldir was upon her in a moment, and Calaereth found he was making his strikes much harder and quicker now. Calaereth managed to repel the first few hits until she met his eyes. A big mistake on her part, when she looked into his blazing silver eyes, her dream suddenly came back. The image of his eyes frozen in death and a dull gray overwhelmed her senses and her ability to fight. Before she knew it, Haldir had locked his leg with hers and sent her falling backwards onto the green grass of Lothlórien. Calaereth let out a small surprised, "Oof!" When she hit the ground. Calaereth blinked, the dream disappearing from her mind instantly. Instead, she found herself looking into angry silver eyes.

"What was so important that you lost focus on your enemy?" Haldir asked.

Calaereth blinked at his voice but said nothing, which seemed to worry Haldir.

"Hey, are you okay?" Haldir asked, an eyebrow raised.

Calaereth instantly felt a pulling, Galadriel was summoning her. Calaereth knew this without a doubt. "Lady Galadriel, I need to see her, now." Calaereth quickly got up, handing her sword to Haldir, she ran off in the direction that she was being pulled. Haldir watched absolutely dumbfounded, how did she already know where Lady Galadriel was? Haldir quickly followed her after picking up their equipment. "That woman." Haldir muttered, "Running off on a moment's notice."

* * *

After climbing many steps and crossing many bridges, Calaereth came to what she knew had to Galadriel's talan. She walked faster towards it now, she needed to ask Galadriel about her dreams. The dream that morning had disturbed Calaereth deeply. Galadriel had said that Calaereth would be able to save Haldir in the coming battle. So why did her dream tell her otherwise? Mermaid dreams were often predictions of the future, which was frightening to Calaereth. Calaereth did not dream often, but when she did the dreams often did come true. The dreams were helpful especially before battles, but they could also prove to be disturbing. Calaereth was worried, she wondered if the dream could change. Perhaps Galadriel could provide her the details she needed.

Calaereth came to the entrance where a warden at the entrance nodded for her to enter. Calaereth gave a small bow of thanks to him, before hurrying forward into the talan. She walked around into the talan that curved forward, a large gap was in the middle of the talan floor. Calaereth came to the bottom of a stair case when she noticed the two figures that seemed to glow. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. Calaereth quickly bowed her head in respect for the two. Awaiting to be acknowledged.

"Calaereth, daughter of Gaeralagos, have you come to discuss your vision?" Galadriel asked, her sapphire eyes full of wisdom.

Lord Celeborn stood beside his wife and glanced at her for a moment before looking back at the former mermaid. Lord Celeborn studied the daughter of Gaeralagos, Celeborn noted that Calaereth resembled more of her mother than her father. Calaereth had the same beauty her mother had, the beauty that Celeborn witnessed when Calaereth's mother visited Lórien. It was the exact same shade of golden blonde. Calaereth did have the same brown eyes from her father, her eyes also shared the same flame of determination in them that Gaeralagos possessed. It was odd though, to see a daughter of two merpeople in an elven form. Celeborn nearly sighed, if Calaereth's personality in battle was anything like her father's Haldir could expect some trouble. Gaeralagos was a true monster in battle, Celeborn had saw this when he had joined Gaeralagos in the search for the orcs that had murdered Gaeralagos' wife. Celeborn slightly winced at the memory but quickly focused on Calaereth again. Galadriel had told Celeborn of the dream Calaereth had last night. If the vision was true, Haldir could be in some serious danger. Galadriel had assured Celeborn though, that the dream would change.

"I have." Calaereth's musical voice spoke with slight confidence. Calaereth had long ago risen from her bowed position. She looked Galadriel in the eyes. "I want to know if my vision was true."

Galadriel smiled at Calaereth as if she were some little elfling asking a silly question. "Not if you want it to. That was a vision of what could possibly happen if you fail to listen to Haldir. Simply a warning. Speaking of Haldir, where is he?" Galadriel asked with a smile on her face.

"Oh, Haldir." Calaereth paused, an embarrassed blush staining her cheeks. She had expected a long explanation from Galadriel about her dreams. Instead she only received a few sentences. She had abandoned Haldir rather abruptly and rudely, now that she thought about it. "Uh...I do not know. Sorry." Calaereth said rather sheepishly.

"There you are!" A familiar voice exclaimed. Calaereth turned to see Haldir, who stood at the entrance. "Can we go back to training now?" Haldir asked impatiently.

"Yes! Of course!" Calaereth replied with renewed inspiration. "Thank you for your time." Calaereth thanked both Galadriel and Celeborn, giving a small bow before hurrying after Haldir.

* * *

Celeborn chuckled after the two left, "I have a feeling these two will be entwined together for a long time." Celeborn commented.

"Most likely." Galadriel smiled at her husband.

* * *

**Le melin- I love you **

**Just thought I would include your Elvish for the day, Lol.**** Anyway tell me what you think, I am excited to hear from you guys! :)**


	12. Close Encounters

**Author's Note:**

**AHealingRenaissance**** - Haha good, you should be! Just kidding, I haven't put that much thought into what Calaereth could fail at yet, but thanks for the idea, LOL. Thanks for the wonderful review, I can't wait to hear from you again! :)**

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* * *

The days were beginning to pass by way too quickly for Calaereth. She was surprised to see how well of a fighter she had become in just a few small weeks. She was gaining accuracy quickly with every day that passed. Her swordsmanship was improving drastically, she could fight Haldir for a few minutes now with daggers. Haldir decided to allow her to have them, after realizing she performed much better with the daggers than a sword. Calaereth knew how to fight off several enemies at the same time. Calaereth was becoming better with the bow and arrow, now making most of her shots near the center of the target. Calaereth found what she liked practicing the most with Haldir was hand-to-hand combat. There were no weapons involved, just using your experience against another. Calaereth's only disadvantage though, was that Haldir was strong. Even though Haldir often told her hand-to-hand was unimportant for the approaching battle, he still taught her because he knew she enjoyed it.

Calaereth aimed a hit at Haldir's gut, instead, Haldir blocked her hit, grabbing her wrist.

"Too slow." Haldir taunted, a smirk curving on his lips.

Calaereth's eyebrows raised in a challenge. "Oh really?" Calaereth grinned, her adrenaline racing through her veins at the excitement of the fight.

"Really."Haldir breathed. Without a warning Calaereth swept her leg forward to trip him. Haldir let go of her hand to avoid being tripped and falling over. Calaereth leaped forward once more going into an offensive attack.

* * *

From afar, Orophin and Rúmil, the two younger brothers of Haldir observed the fight. Both brothers had recently been introduced to the former mermaid. Both were impressed by her personality, manners, and fighting skills. They also managed to adopt Calaereth as the baby sister they never had, and maybe never wanted, within a week. She always seemed to have a way of goading Orophin or Rúmil into a spar that they had no chance of winning. Usually the spar consisted of only hand to hand combat, something elves rarely used in battle. Which gave a large advantage to Calaereth. This defeat always seemed to serve a blow to their egos every time they lost. Haldir was of no help either, as a matter of fact, he seemed to encourage her behavior. If anything, he was training Calaereth even better to insure better victories against his younger brothers.

"She's quite the fighter." Orophin observed, "A natural for sure." Just last week Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir who were notorious rangers and pranksters, lost to Calaereth in a quick hand to hand spar before they headed back to Rivendell. The looks on their faces had been something to see.

"I heard that she is the daughter of the leader of the mermaids here in Lothlórien. You know, the ones guarding our borders from the waters?" Rúmil commented.

"It would make sense." Orophin spoke as he watched as Calaereth manage to jump onto Haldir's back and attach herself onto him like some monkey. A large grin was plastered on her face as she locked her arms around his neck. Haldir looked back at her with a grin of his own. "You know Rúmil, I don't think I have ever seen Haldir look so happy with a female as he is with Calaereth. It has only been weeks since their first meeting and they already seem to be the best of friends." Orophin said.

"If you want my opinion, I think they are connected in some special way. When you look at them together, you can just tell that something is right. One is usually with the other, now that they know each other. Well that and Calaereth needs the training." Rúmil stated, only looking away for a second from Haldir and Calaereth. When he glanced back, he saw both of them on the ground, laughing hard. Rúmil raised an eyebrow at the two, never had he seen Haldir look so stress free. The duty as Marchwarden usually made him stern and serious, laughter rarely came from Haldir, even when he was with his brothers. Calaereth was definitely bringing out a better side of Haldir. Something Rúmil and Orophin did not mind at all.

"In using weapons she still needs improvement but if it was a battle without weapons she would have no problem at all. She has proven that much already." Orophin muttered, rubbing at his arm where Calaereth had delivered a hard kick a few days ago. She was really good at using her legs to fight now, one would never had guessed that she had been a mermaid weeks prior. Well except for her still few awkward moments in elven society, there were still things she needed to work on in that department. She gave male elves either weird looks or glares when they went to kiss her hand in greeting, Orophin wondered why Haldir hadn't talked to her about that yet. Perhaps Haldir wanted Calaereth to glare at any possible suitors. A slight smirk appeared on Orophin's face at the thought of Haldir possibly being envious of other suitors looking at Calaereth.

Calaereth was pretty, that much was certain about her. She looked slightly similar to some of the female ellith with her golden hair, but she acted differently than the others, she had an appealing attitude that told you what she thought but was very polite about it, sometimes. Very few ellith were brave enough to speak so boldly as Calaereth, like addressing the Marchwarden as if he was just an elfling. A hilarious spectacle to witness when Calaereth did so since she was much more petite than Haldir. Haldir would attempt to use his height to his advantage, but Calaereth would remain undeterred. She would simply point her right index finger at him and have her left hand on her hip in a gesture. Not many would dare to put the Haldir in his place like Calaereth would. The most surprising part was when Haldir would back down and actually listen to her. Something he rarely seemed to do, Haldir was used to giving the orders and lectures, not receiving them.

A small shriek brought Orophin out of his thoughts, he looked over to find Calaereth with leaves in her hair and Haldir a few feet away a large smirk on his face as he looked at her. Haldir looked most likely guilty for the leaves in her hair. Calaereth reached up and plucked a leaf out of her hair, the she glared at Haldir.

"You messed up my hair!" Calaereth declared, angrily pointing at him.

"I decorated it." Haldir stated, grinning. "It looks much better than before."

Calaereth's mouth dropped slightly in surprise at that insult, "Thats it!" Calaereth warned, then she attacked him again. They looked quite silly now, Calaereth with leaves in her hair, causing her to look like a mad woman. Haldir was openly grinning now, something that the elves found strange, slowly, a crowd gather to watch. Eventually in the end, Haldir won, but in a very compromising situation. His arms were wrapped around her front, holding onto her arms to make sure no elbows would be sent towards his face. To many it may have looked to be a very warm embrace, instead of a way to hold one in place. Calaereth's face was turned towards his, watching him. Haldir watched her as well, a wary look of caution in his silver eyes.

Orophin grinned at the two then moved towards the crowd, "Let's go, nothing good to see here. The show is over." Surprisingly enough, the crowd followed Orophin who claimed the market in Lórien had just brought in fresh fruits.

* * *

Calaereth panted as she stared into Haldir's molten silver eyes. He had a firm grip on her arms, letting her know he was in control. Calaereth knew kicking him was also not an option any longer, he would easily avoid it. Haldir being pressed up against her back wasn't helping her situation either. She had trouble keeping her thoughts straight when she was around him, but in this position, she could hardly think at all. Her senses were in overdrive. Calaereth could smell him, oddly enough, he still smelled nice. She could feel the heat emitting from him, alerting her of his closeness. She could see him very clearly, his silver eyes were ablaze with passion. This was probably the closest Calaereth had ever been to Haldir. She couldn't help but admire his face for a brief moment. She could hear every breath he made. The only thing she couldn't do was taste him, but she was awfully close.

Calaereth's eyes lowered quickly, her dark eyelashes bating slightly as she glanced at his parted lips. If she leaned in just a little more, they would be kissing. As tempting as it was Calaereth knew she had to control herself or risk being embarrassed, or even worse, rejected. She looked back up at Haldir to find him staring at her lips as well. Instantly she felt her heart skip a beat at that thought. Then, Haldir looked back up into her eyes, nearly paralyzing her with his stare. Calaereth knew she was blushing, she had to be. She was close, way too close.

Haldir seemed to realize this as well after a long moment, his arms loosened around her and he let go, quickly looking away. Looking almost embarrassed. "My apologies." Haldir bowed briefly, then hurried off without another word leaving Calaereth puzzled and unsure of what to do next. Deciding that following him was not an option, Calaereth headed back to their shared talan, confused.

* * *

Haldir knew he had to hurry and get away from Calaereth quickly. If he had stayed close to her any longer he would cave in to his instincts. His self control nearly crumbled when she had glanced at his lips. He had nearly leaned in and kissed her there, in the middle of the training grounds, for anyone to see. It was bad enough a large crowd had witnessed him holding her so close. They would occasionally bump into each other sometimes in the kitchen or on the stairs. It seemed though, as if his feelings had only continued to grow and flourish for her. Every time he tried to find a fault or a flaw in her to convince himself she was no good for him, he only proved himself wrong. Haldir wanted Calaereth, and he knew it. But he knew better than to tell her so suddenly, he had no indication from her that the feeling was mutual.

Haldir leaped up onto a large branch of a mellorn tree, and sat down on the white bark, contemplating his actions even further. His eyes shut briefly, remember how beautiful her eyes had been, the memory fresh in his mind. Her brown eyes had seemed much lighter and prettier, he knew he had seen flecks of green in her brown eyes. Haldir let out a long, exasperated sigh. Training hadn't been so challenging until now. Haldir had been so focused on winning against her, he hadn't thought to keep some space between them. Haldir wanted to hit his head against the tree in his frustration at his situation, never had he thought it could be so hard to hide his admiration for Calaereth. Usually he was an expert at hiding his emotions and maintaining control, but when he held her he just couldn't bring himself to let go of her.

Hours later, Haldir left the tree at sunset. His mind still battling on what to say to her when he returned to the talan. He was halfway to the talan when he heard footsteps behind him, they were obviously in a rush.

"Lord Marchwarden!" A male voice yelled from behind him, quickly catching Haldir's attention. Haldir turned around surprised to see one of his wardens running towards him. It was one of his young wardens he had recently given the job as a messenger between the borders and Caras Galadhon. The elf was perfect for the job, he was young and fit for the job, the elf was very energetic.

"What is it, Lagordir?" Haldir asked, surprised to see that Lagordir looked very disturbed and frightened.

"There has been a large skirmish on our borders. We think it was an attempt to breach our Eastern borders. They happened to attack at a spot where there was a cluster of the merpeople in the waters of the Anduin. Many of them have been killed or injured badly. We were more lucky, we have suffered no casualties Marchwarden only small injuries, nothing fatal. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn have ordered you to return to the borders immediately, in case of any future attacks." Lagordir spoke quickly, taking a deep breath after his report.

Inside, Haldir was worried, but he maintained a calm facade. He knew Calaereth's father had been assigned to that region. Haldir nodded quickly, "Thank you Lagordir, that will be enough for now." Haldir headed even faster for the talan now, he needed to get changed, grab his weapons, and head back to the Eastern borders as quickly as possible. He would not have time for a discussion with Calaereth right now, about what happened earlier.

* * *

Calaereth jumped slightly when the door to the talan opened and slammed shut. Calaereth peeked up from her place on the floor, where she had been attempting to read an Elvish picture book for young elflings. Calaereth noticed Haldir rush inside, he walked right past her not saying a word of acknowledgement at all. Calaereth frowned, if he was upset that he didn't get a kiss, it was his fault. Calaereth simply shrugged and went back to reading. She did take notice of the loud clattering noises upstairs as if Haldir was in a hurry. Slightly curious, Calaereth, climbed up the stairs, looking in Haldir's doorway to see him in his Marchwarden clothes that he always wore on the borders. She also noticed some of his weapons scattered on the floor. Swinging his cloak over his shoulders, he accidentally knocked over the quiver of arrows lying on his bed. They arrows fell out and made loud noises as the fell to the wooden floor. Haldir cursed loudly and turned towards the arrows when he noticed Calaereth standing in the doorway, watching. Calaereth had never seen Haldir in such a state of distress before.

"What?!" Haldir nearly snarled at her, a little flustered that she had seen his clumsy act.

"Nothing!" Calaereth raised her hands up in a sign of surrender, she quickly left him alone, snickering slightly when she was out of hearing range. Haldir was kind of cute when he was embarrassed.

Haldir glared at the doorway long after she left, then went back to grumbling as he picked up the arrows off of the floor. "That woman, she tests my limits." Haldir muttered grumpily.

In minutes Haldir ran down the stairs and past Calaereth who sat on the chair. She looked up at him, surprised to see him geared up for duty already. "Where are you going?" Calaereth asked as Haldir grabbed his sword and it's sheath that lay against the wall.

"The borders, there has been an attack." Haldir tried to speak very little of it as he headed for the door.

"An attack, where?" Calaereth stood up from her seat, interested.

"Look, Calaereth, I don't really have the time to-" Haldir started to make an excuse as he opened the door.

"Where?" Calaereth, the little monkey she really was, managed to block his path.

"Eastern border." Haldir stated, "Now move, or I will move you myself."

Calaereth moved to the side, and Haldir quickly headed down the stairs. If Calaereth knew her father could potentially be dead, there was no way she would be productive at all in training. "Near the Anduin?" Calaereth asked.

Haldir kept silent, and actually started running for the forest below. Silently answering Calaereth's question without words. Calaereth realized this, and suddenly felt much colder than before. There was a reason Haldir didn't want to talk about it.

* * *

**Tadaaa that is chapter Twelve folks! I hope you liked it, this was my longest chapter so far, LOL. Anyway I'm going on vacation very soon, so I won't be able to update for a few weeks. Please accept this longer chapter as a peace-offering. Haha, just kidding. Please tell me what you guys thought of this chapter, I can't wait to hear from you! :)**


	13. Bad News

**Author's Note: **

**Fellowship of Avengers**** - Yes I know, Haldir has totally changed! They are cute together aren't they? ;) I know, I like Haldir more happy and nice than a serious and stoic Haldir. Yea, something wicked is coming Calaereth's way. Anyway, thanks for the wonderful review! I love your reviews! Can't wait to hear from you again! :)**

**Mockingtale Bright**** - I guess you're not the sweet romantic type, LOL, sorry that you found it a little predictable, I didn't think it was. I'm glad you like the portrayal of my OC. I do try to make the chapters as long as possible, but I like to update as often as possible. Thanks for the advice though, and thank you for reviewing! I look forward to your next review. :)**

**Katheryne B**** - Awww thank you! I'm glad you love it. Hahaha HaldirxOC fanfics are my favorites too, LOL. Heres the next chapter, thank you for your awesome review, and thank you for following my story. I'm looking forward to your next review! :)**

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* * *

"Boom!" The sound of thunder caused Calaereth to jump slightly from her spot on her bed. She then wrapped her arms around her knees, curling almost into a ball as she watched the rain fall outside and the lightning would occasionally pierce the darkness. Calaereth instantly wished Haldir was here, she simply craved someone to hold her and comfort her. She was becoming worried, she hadn't heard word from Haldir for days now. The skirmish at the Eastern borders must have been horrible, Calaereth realized. Haldir wouldn't be gone for so long if it wasn't so bad. It was horrible that she couldn't head to the Anduin herself and find out whether or not her father was dead. Actually, the suspense was killing her instead. Calaereth wanted to know if her father was okay, she knew her brother was fine, Hithaeron was luckily assigned to Nimrodel, not the Anduin.

Calaereth sighed, feeling depressed, and the weather outside was not helping her either. Calaereth slowly rose from the bed and closed the curtains to the windows, she jumped when another loud crash of thunder broke outside. Calaereth had to admit, storms were much more frightening on land than in water. Calaereth pulled a robe out of her closet and threw it on over her thin nightgown. After tying a small belt around her waist, Calaereth headed down the stairs occasionally flinching at the rumble of thunder.

Calaereth suddenly stopped outside Haldir's bedroom door. She couldn't help but just peek inside, the small glimmer of hope that he would be in the talan resting in his bed, safe and uninjured. She gave the door a small shove, she poked her head inside, only to find disappointment. Haldir, as she expected in the back of her mind, was not inside the room, or in the talan for that matter. Calaereth frowned as she looked at the bed, it was as usual, perfectly made. The bed was decorated in the same blue sheets as from the first day Calaereth had sneaked a small glimpse of his room. Her first day in Haldir's talan.

Calaereth frowned, closed the door and left Haldir's room. She stepped down the rest of the steps slowly, she saw no reason to hurry. Calaereth found herself analyzing everything in the talan now that she didn't have Haldir to provide some source of company. Calaereth glanced at every painting on the walls, she was surprised to find such beautiful artwork in Haldir's talan. She wasn't sure why though, maybe because she expected to see more weapons hanging up on the walls instead of paintings.

Another loud crack of thunder shattered through the air outside, causing Calaereth to stumble on the stairs. Calaereth managed to catch herself, she gripped the rail on the side of the stairs tightly, oh she definitely didn't like storms. Calaereth hurried off of the last step and went to sit on the chair facing the door. Haldir would return soon, well, Calaereth hoped he would. I will sit here, awake, until Haldir returns, Calaereth told herself. Soon enough though, Calaereth found her eyes drooping with sleepiness, "A small nap can't hurt anything." Calaereth mumbled, and fell into a peaceful rest.

* * *

Rain pounded loudly on the roof of the small talan that Haldir sat inside, the talan was on the borders. He had been at the borders for a full two days now, and he had found nothing but devastation at the battleground. All of the orcs had been cleared out of the surrounding forests and waters. Their disgusting bodies now burned in a large pile.

Haldir had found Calaereth's father Gaeralagos, yesterday, barely alive. Gaeralagos had been down river, nearly unconscious due to a large wound in his chest. The healers claim Gaeralagos was extremely luckily, the orc had barely missed his heart. Gaeralagos was still in extreme condition though, he stood on the very thin line between life and death, as the healers worked on him now, in the rain. There was a large chance Gaeralagos could sway and suddenly fade. Haldir remembered his encounter with the leader merman all too well.

* * *

"You must tell Calaereth that I love her dearly, and her brother too. Make sure Calaereth doesn't sneak down here, last thing I need is for my daughter to see me in such a horrible condition." Gaeralagos then grabbed a fistful of Haldir's tunic, surprising Haldir. Haldir had not expected the injured merman to still be so strong. "You will take care of her for me, won't you?" Gaeralagos asked.

Haldir stared at the merman for a long moment, in disbelief. The last time Haldir had been with Calaereth in Gaeralagos presence, Gaeralagos did not approve. Was Calaereth's father actually going to trust him to take care of her, once Gaeralagos is gone? Haldir wondered if Gaeralagos even knew that his daughter had been turned into an elf, and that she was currently living in his talan, probably safe and sound.

"Please, won't you grant a dying man's wish? Hithaeron will be strong without me, I know this. But Calaereth, she needs someone, won't you provide her some kind of company?" Gaeralagos nearly begged.

"Do not talk of such nonsense." Haldir helped the merman towards the healers, "You will be fine and gain your strength back. You will not have to worry about me taking care of her." Haldir stated, sternly.

"But if I do fade, Haldir. Can I trust you to help her?" Gaeralagos demanded an answer.

"Always." Haldir replied, and left him with the healers, Haldir headed back to the talan with a different view on the merman leader.

* * *

Haldir now stared at a blank piece of paper, unsure of what to say to Calaereth. He started with the easy parts, as in the address to whom the letter was to be sent. Haldir then wrote, _Dear Calaereth,_ and then his mind went blank again on what to write. Never had Haldir been more confused as to what to write in a letter, this never happened to him. Haldir didn't want Calaereth to be exposed to the bloodied battle ground on the border. At the same time, Haldir wanted to tell Calaereth of her father's current condition. Haldir feared though, if she knew how bad her father was faring, she might go to the borders, even if he were to tell her not to. That, would be an entirely different situation that Haldir did not want to handle anytime soon. Haldir let out an irritated groan and put his head in his hands, maybe he just shouldn't write her a letter at all.

A loud knock on the door startled Haldir slightly, and Haldir straightened himself back up. Crumbling up his lousy attempt at a letter, Haldir put it to the side for now. Haldir planned to throw it away later.

"Enter!" Haldir commanded as he tried to look busy in some books. Once the door opened and shut, Haldir glanced up to see his younger brother Orophin standing straight. Haldir leaned back in his chair and stared at his brother, "What is it Orophin?" Haldir asked.

"Lagordir has just returned from Caras Galadhon. Galadriel has had another vision, the dangers at this border are currently nonexistent, and will be so for a good amount of time. She requests that you return back to Caras Galadhon quickly. The Battle of Helms Deep is less than a week away, and you will departure two days early with both the armies of Lothlórien and Rivendell. The Rivendell army is expected to arrive three to four days before, and Lady Galadriel would like you to be back a few days prior to their arrival." Orophin stated, remembering Lagordir's message very well.

"Is that all?" Haldir asked, closing the book.

"Yes." Orophin nodded.

Haldir stood up quickly, he would travel back to Caras Galadhon through the storm, hopefully he could be back to Caras Galadhon by morning. Haldir began to head for the door.

"Oh, Haldir, one more thing." Orophin blocked the door easily. "It's about Calaereth."

Haldir looked over at Orophin pausing, "Part of the message that you forgot to mention, or some elleth courting advice that you think I need."

"None of the above." Orophin grinned, "I would just like to know your-" Orophin never got to finish that comment, for Haldir pushed past him, and out the door. Whatever Orophin had to say, it was probably not anything Haldir desired to hear at the moment. No, Haldir desired to be back in his nice, warm, comfortable talan. Haldir desired to hold Calaereth in his arms without having to worry about the upcoming battle. Haldir should spending his time with her, because he knew very well that he may not survive the battle. This war may take his long life, just as it took his father's. Haldir just hoped that Calaereth was good enough, that she would not perish in this battle.

Haldir traveled quickly through the trees, the storm had calmed down for now, just leaving Haldir to the darkness.

* * *

By the time Haldir arrived back in Caras Galadhon, the sun was beginning to rise. Haldir hurried back to his talan, the few days that Haldir had been separated from Calaereth had seemed awfully long. Haldir couldn't wait to return to Calaereth, he had missed her company. Haldir also missed sleeping in his own bed at night, he couldn't sleep well anywhere else. Haldir still missed Calaereth more though, he wanted to see that large childish grin plastered on her face once more.

Haldir hurried up the steps to the door and then knocked on the the door three times loudly, knowing her, she could still be asleep.

* * *

Three loud knocks on the door, caused Calaereth to wake rather abruptly from her sleep. Calaereth jumped up from her seat eagerly, running to it, she opened the door to see Haldir looking down at her, his hand raised, ready to knock on the door once more. Haldir quickly dropped his hand back to his side and stared at her. Without a second thought, Calaereth opened the door further, than leaped forward and jumped into his arms.

Haldir laughed lightly, happy to see her personality had not changed at all. Haldir carried her inside and closed the door.

"Haldir, you silly elf, why didn't you write me?" Calaereth asked after untangling herself from his arms, so she could look into those silver eyes once more.

"I was busy." Haldir said quickly, it was true. Haldir had been busy, but he did have time to write her, he just couldn't figure out what to write her. Something that had completely puzzled Haldir, he wondered if it was because he had been exhausted yesterday. Calaereth seemed to accept his answer though, and she nodded in understanding. Causing a flood of relief over Haldir, perhaps she wouldn't question him about Gaeralagos.

"Haldir, now that you're back. How is my father?" Calaereth asked, feeling that it was a better time now, rather than asking him as soon as he came in the door. It was true, she missed Haldir, but she had been worried sick about her father.

Haldir nearly groaned, he had assumed wrong that she would simply forget about her father for a moment. "He is better." Haldir said truthfully, it wasn't a lie, Gaeralagos was probably much better now than he was in the river.

"He was injured?" Calaereth exclaimed, moving closer to Haldir. "How badly Haldir?"

Haldir looked away from those pleading brown eyes, if he looked at her any more he would most likely melt and tell her anything she wanted to know. Calaereth was too good at persuading him, the powers this woman had over him. Haldir wondered for a moment if she knew that she held so much power over him. Probably not, Haldir thought dryly.

Calaereth became even more worried when he didn't answer her for a few moments. A small little bit of strength overwhelmed her for a moment and Calaereth reached forward and grabbed Haldir's tunic, just as her father had done days ago. Haldir's eyes widened for a moment, surprised by her action.

"Sorry." Calaereth muttered, and let go of his tunic to touch his shoulder in a more pleading manner. She wasn't sure what had came over her in that small moment, but it sure didn't look good.

"Do you want the truth, or do you want me to tell you something else?" Haldir asked, looking into her eyes again.

"Of course I want the truth! What kind of stupid question is that?" Calaereth asked, her temper getting the better of her words. She felt a small sting of guilt when Haldir flinched slightly at her words.

"A silly question, you are right, forgive me." Haldir paused and folded her small hands in his large ones in a gesture that told Calaereth she was not going to like what she was going to hear next. "When I found your father two days ago, he was on the brink of death. A large wound in his chest barely missed his heart. He was lucky the orc was not a better shot." Haldir gently squeezed her hands in a comforting manner. "I am not sure if he will make it or not, but the healers are doing their best to save him. Last I was told, he is in stable condition, for now." Haldir finished, not really interested into going into more details.

Calaereth blinked as the corners of her eyes watered and her vision blurred. Calaereth tried to blink away the tears as the thought of her father dying overcame her. She wasn't sure what she would do without him, she may be independent, but she loved her father dearly. Besides, she wouldn't be here without him. "Sorry." Calaereth whispered, and looked down trying to hide her tears. What had made her so emotional that she wanted to cry? Calaereth did not want to cry in front of Haldir, she wanted to appear strong for him and her father. She felt like a baby, crying like this.

Haldir smiled sadly at her, and felt his heart break slightly at the sight of her tears. Haldir pulled her forward into a hug, and rested his head on top of hers, closing his eyes. "Everything will be fine." Haldir assured her. "Your father sends his love." Calaereth sobbed slightly at that message, of course even near death her father would worry about her. "He also said no sneaking to the border to see him as well." Haldir grinned down at Calaereth who let out a small choked laugh.

"Of course, it would kill him for me to see him in such a terrible condition. I bet it hurt his ego badly enough to have you help him." Calaereth remarked, smiling, despite her tears.

Haldir's grin expanded slightly at that though. Haldir patted her on the back, to reassure her. Then he broke away from the hug and looked down at her, "Wine?" Haldir asked.

Calaereth laughed at his idea of wine to make everything better. "Just a small glass." Calaereth requested, and Haldir nodded, heading into the kitchen as Calaereth slided into one of the chairs at the dining table. Haldir was more understanding then she thought. Haldir returned to the table with two glasses of wine and some bread and sliced cheese.

"If there is anything I learned in my long life, it is that you do not drink wine on an empty stomach." Haldir sat in front of her, and handed her the glass with less wine.

Calaereth smiled, she wasn't sure how he knew she hadn't eaten anything but she decided not to question it and accept his kindness. Calaereth nibbled on a piece of bread that Haldir had sliced for her. She looked up and met those silver eyes again, had Haldir been staring at her?

Haldir's eyes quickly flickered back to the piece of bread he was slicing at the moment. As creepy as it sounded, she was cute when she ate as well. She did need to eat more though, it looked as if she had lost a couple of pounds while he was gone. Haldir reckoned that she probably didn't eat when terribly stressed. Haldir felt slightly responsible for her stress, and he would make sure she would be healthy in time for the battle. A sudden cough from Calaereth interrupted his thoughts.

"Haldir, you do realize you have a leaf stuck in your hair right?" Calaereth looked at her food as she said that, a small grin on her face.

Haldir felt his face flush for a moment in embarrassment before he plucked a mellorn leaf out of his hair and put it aside. "Of course I did." Haldir lied, sipping at his wine.

Calaereth looked up at him, grinning, then she shook her head and returned to her food.

Haldir and Calaereth would cherish this moment for days to come, for they both knew the upcoming days may not be as cheerful as they were now.

* * *

**Thats chapter thirteen everyone! I hope you all liked it, and I am looking forward to your reviews! Sorry for the long wait, not everything goes as planned with vacation, LOL. Check out Calaereth's tumblr on my profile page, Calaereth would LOVE to have any questions, and I can always have Calaereth reply to them herself! You can always follow her on tumblr as well, thats cool. :) Anyway, have an enjoyable weekend everyone, and don't forget to review! **

**-Garnette**


	14. The Dance

**Author's Note:**

**Fellowship of Avengers**** - Yea, Calaereth isn't much of one for waiting, she is not quite patient. I hope he makes it too, :) I know, a little D'awww moment at the end, thanks for your review. You're the first reviewer after I publish the chapter, again, congrats, LOL. I love to have your reviews! I'm looking forward to your next review! :)**

**wonderpanda10**** - Thanks for following my story and thanks for reviewing! Hahaha I know, hopefully it will be sometime soon. I hope he will get well sometime soon too. Awwww I'm so sorry, okay no more depressed Calaereth, LOL. Heres the update, thanks for reviewing! I can't wait till your next review! :)**

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* * *

The morning sun rose quickly into the sky, and Calaereth was surprisingly, the first one up this morning. Calaereth went down the stairs quietly, careful not to disturb a sleeping Haldir. Calaereth had just finished doing a braid on her hair when there was a knock on the door. Calaereth opened it quickly, surprised to see a warden for Lady Galadriel on the doorstep.

"Good morning." The elf smiled politely, "I bring a message from Galadriel that is being spread across Caras Galadhon as I speak. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn have decided to hold a formal dance tomorrow night, a small celebration before many of Lothlórien's wardens head off to battle. It will be held in the main hall tomorrow night, so it will be exclusively for the elves of Lothlórien. The elves of Rivendell are expected to arrive in two days, after our formal celebration." The elf told Calaereth kindly.

Calaereth heard footsteps behind her, and she turned to see Haldir hurrying down the steps with only a robe on. His pale blonde hair was down, Haldir hadn't even bothered to braid his hair. His silver eyes looked sleepy and tired, but still Haldir managed to look handsome without trying. Part of Haldir's chest was exposed by the robe, and Calaereth stared for a moment at the beautifully pale skin, there were no scars from what she could see. Calaereth quickly looked away, and nodded to the warden before leaving the door open for Haldir. She had practically been ogling Haldir in front of the warden, how embarrassing.

Calaereth heard the door close, and heard Haldir talk to the warden outside of the door. She needed to think about something to keep her mind off of Haldir's body. Calaereth sat in a chair and thought for a long moment about the formal event ahead of her. Calaereth was interested in this formal dance, Calaereth had never danced before. Since it was formal, Calaereth could assume that she would want to wear something very nice and beautiful. Calaereth wondered if she needed a partner to bring her to the dance. It could be difficult if she had to find someone other than Haldir. She felt that Haldir would forgive her if she stepped on his toes because of her lack of experience, but other male elves may not be so forgiving.

The door opened again, Haldir entered and closed the door behind him. "A formal dance." Haldir stated, looking over at Calaereth. Haldir was grinning on the insides like crazy, this was an opportunity to be close to Calaereth. Haldir would also get to teach her how to dance, that would be interesting as well. Haldir was sure though, that she would probably learn it quickly.

"Yea." Calaereth smiled nervously, "Do I need a partner?"

"Definitely." Haldir nodded, "Do not worry though, I will be your partner. I doubt any other male elf could handle your temper as well as me." Haldir teased.

Calaereth gaped in surprise at that comment, "Hey, it was once! You even admitted the question was silly!" Calaereth accused.

Haldir chuckled lightly, and headed for the stairs, "I'm getting changed and we are going to work on those nonexistent dancing skills of yours for tomorrow night."

Calaereth grinned at that, and plopped back down on the chair, awaiting his return eagerly.

* * *

"Now put left your hand on the top of my shoulder. Good." Haldir smiled, as Calaereth placed her hand on top of his shoulder quickly. "Now I will place my hand on your back, some dances I will place my hand on your waist. If you happen to be dancing with another who places his hand any lower than your waist, do tell me." Haldir grinned, assuring her that no elf would get away with such a gesture.

"Oh, I don't think I will have to tell you. I think you will know." Calaereth grinned as well, her right hand holding his left.

"Good." Haldir stated, as Calaereth followed him in his steps in the formal dance that Haldir knew well and was most common at these events. "You're not as bad as I thought you would be at dancing." Haldir admitted. Calaereth laughed at that as she looked back down at her feet, careful not to step on him. They moved slowly around the living room together. Even though there was no music to keep them in sync, they danced in silence. After a while, Calaereth learned the pattern of the dance and she no longer had to look at her feet. Calaereth looked up to see Haldir looking down at her. His silver eyes watching, and analyzing her. Calaereth felt her face flush at that thought and a small smile appeared on Haldir's face.

Haldir admired how careful she was about avoiding his feet. It showed how much she cared for him, even though Haldir had clearly told her he didn't care if she stepped on him, he had even managed to insult her on telling her she was too small to do any serious damage. They had been at dancing for hours now, and evening was already approaching again. The day had gone by way too quickly for both Haldir and Calaereth.

They finished for the night, and moved the furniture back to it's original place in the living room. Haldir set out his best clothes for the dance, and then went upstairs with Calaereth to pick out a dress that would hopefully match his clothing. As Haldir skimmed through her closet he noticed a beautiful formal dress that was a breathtaking shade of cerulean, that reminded Haldir of the waters of the ocean.

Haldir immediately snatched it out of her closet, and Calaereth watched him, amused by his sudden interest in the dress. "Yes, this will definitely do." The shade of blue would go well with his best silver robes. The shade of cerulean on her dress was the exact same color of the embroidery on his silver robes.

"Well that certainly didn't take long at all." Calaereth commented as Haldir headed out the door and for the stairs.

"Goodnight Calaereth." Haldir called, the words really meaning just go to bed.

Calaereth grinned, "Goodnight Haldir!" Calaereth replied in a sing song voice.

* * *

The next day came fast, and before Calaereth knew it, she was in her room preparing herself for the evening to come. She wanted to squeal in excitement as she brushed her hair and thought about the dance. Her golden hair fell in soft waves down mid back. She was already in her blue dress, and she wore her silver flats to go with the dress. Calaereth ran her hands once more over the silky material of the dress, it was quite a luxury to have such a dress. Finally, she stood up and walked over to the door where she opened it and exited. She went past Haldir's room, once she entered the living room she was surprised to find Haldir ready.

Haldir looked up at her from where he had been fumbling slightly with his buttons on his tunic, even though they were already perfectly fashioned. Haldir quickly dropped his hands to his sides, and stared at her, his silver eyes widening at her appearance. She looked absolutely breathtaking in that dress, Haldir had been right, it was the perfect shade for her. Her golden hair was down and it looked soft with all of the beautiful waves. Her brown eyes literally sparkled in her happiness. A smile quickly appeared on her pink lips. Haldir's gaze suddenly stopped on her lips.

Calaereth noticed this and let out a small cough to interrupt his thoughts, secretly grinning when a small blush appeared on his face. Haldir looked just as handsome though, his pale blonde hair was smooth and straight. His hair was braided in the two usual braids at the sides of his head. His silver eyes were as calm as always, and they matched his tunic very well. _Haldir sure does know how to clean up nicely_, Calaereth thought silently.

"Shall we?" Haldir offered his arm politely, his appearance calm, trying to hide the embarrassed flush of being caught staring.

"Of course." Calaereth moved forward quickly to hook her arm through his. Calaereth felt giddy as Haldir led her out the door and over the many bridges and stairways of Lothlórien to the main hall.

As they entered, Haldir nodded towards one of the wardens who nodded back and grinned. Calaereth's eyes widened as she looked around the transformed main hall. The middle was cleared out for dancing. The very front had musicians who played beautiful music, and each side of the room had one long table where everyone could sit. The tables were already decorated with beautiful silver ware, glasses, napkins, wine and food.

"Wow." Was all Calaereth was able to say as she looked on, amazed by the transformation of the dining hall. Haldir smiled down at her, and looked back up. He had seen the set up of the dining hall into a ballroom many times before, but he would pretend to be amused for Calaereth.

"Come, our seats have already been picked out for us. It is time for everyone to start sitting down." Haldir lead her to their seats which were quite up front and in view of many people. Very close to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, Calaereth noticed. Just as Haldir had said, everyone had started sitting down in their selected seats.

Once everyone was seated things settled down quickly, and the voices ceased. Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn entered gracefully, Calaereth watched with the same awe as always. It was such an honor to see the two ancient elves.

"Thank you everyone for attending tonight. I am grateful that so many of you could attend to celebrate with us. Allow us to have this wonderful night amongst some of the dark days to come." Galadriel nodded, her eyes meeting Calaereth's for a moment. Then both Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel sat down and the feast began. Calaereth was happy to be sitting next to Haldir, he was very talkative during dinner, something Calaereth greatly appreciated. She watched him with pure admiration as Haldir conversed with Celeborn for a moment. How lucky Calaereth was, to be sitting next to such a charming elf, who was probably most handsome person she had ever met.

Galadriel noticed this admiration in Calaereth and she smiled to herself, to see Calaereth look so smitten by Haldir. Galadriel was suddenly very proud of herself for arranging this event.

* * *

The time to dance was fast approaching and Calaereth grabbed Haldir's hand under the table nervously. Her confidence was no longer as strong as it had been, now that she was surrounded by all of these pretty ellith, many of them Calaereth felt were prettier than her. Haldir didn't even glance down at her hand, he simply wrapped his hand around hers to comfort her. Haldir gave a small, gentle, squeeze and glanced down at her to give a comforting smile. Calaereth found herself returning the smile as well, suddenly forgetting about the other ellith.

When the time came to dance, Haldir helped her out of her chair and guided her to the dance floor. There were very few couples on the floor so far, only Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, and a few others that Calaereth did not know or recognize. Calaereth quickly adapted to the dance and the music, before she knew it she was dancing along to the music.

"Our lessons certainly helped didn't they?" Haldir asked, the corner of his mouth tilted upwards.

"Yes." Calaereth answered unashamed, she was going to make another comment when she spotted a group of ellith in the corner of the room staring at her with shocked faces. "Haldir, would you care to explain to me why those ellith look like fish out of water?" Calaereth asked, her head tilted in confusion. Haldir glanced over at the direction Calaereth had pointed to, to see a group of his female pursuitors. Each and everyone of them had pursued him in search of a courtship and Haldir had turned each one of them down. Haldir never cared too much for gossips anyway.

"Ah." Haldir smirked down at Calaereth, "I see you have noticed my little group of obsessive followers. Perhaps they will back down now that they have seen that I have found a female who I am in a relationship with." Haldir stated.

Calaereth looked up at Haldir in surprise, since when had they been in a relationship? Haldir ignored her look though and continued to dance with her. Throughout the night Calaereth had been passed off to several elves, Lord Celeborn, Orophin, Rúmil, and some very kind wardens from the borders who recognized her. As the last song began, Calaereth somehow found herself back in Haldir's arms again.

"You're very popular amongst the males here." Haldir commented, grinning.

"Am I?" Calaereth arched an eyebrow at him as they swayed together to the slow music.

"Very." Haldir nodded, his silver eyes watching her now with a relaxed look. "Have you enjoyed your night so far?"

"I have." Calaereth smiled up at him, "Thank you for bringing me here."

"My pleasure." Haldir smiled, and before the couple knew it the song came to an end.

* * *

Haldir and Calaereth were halfway back to the talan when Haldir conveniently remembered the small piece of jewelry he had bought her, a reward for her hard training she had endured with him. Haldir feared he wouldn't be able to survive the battle to give her anything afterwards. He had meant to give it to her before the dance so she could wear it tonight, but he had been so distracted by her he had completely forgotten, until now.

"Calaereth." Haldir called out her name, grabbing her wrist gently, stopping her effectively. Calaereth turned towards him, surprised, as she allowed Haldir to pull her back to him. Calaereth watched him as he pulled a small navy box, that seemed to be covered in a velvet material. "This is for you." Haldir said almost shyly, surprising Calaereth even more.

"Thank you." Calaereth replied, taking it gently. She slowly opened the box, wondering what could be inside. She was surprised to find a silver necklace inside, on the necklace there was a small pendant in the shape of a mellorn leaf. Calaereth's mouth fell open in surprise at the beauty of the gift, whoever had crafted the necklace had put some serious detail into the pendant. Haldir had given her such a wonderful gift, and Calaereth had no words to describe how she felt. Calaereth looked up at Haldir who stared down at her, gauging her reactions.

"I thought that you deserved something for the hard work that you have put into your training, for such little time you have accomplished so much." Haldir nodded proudly, as he kept a calm poker face.

Calaereth felt tears at the corner of her eyes, no one had given her such a nice gift before. Calaereth closed the box, and quickly embraced him. Haldir, stood shocked for a moment before returning the embrace, he had not meant to make her cry. "Thank you. Thank you so so much." Calaereth broke away from the embrace to wipe at her tears. "Forgive me." Calaereth laughed despite her tears, "I have never been given such a beautiful gift before."

Haldir smiled in understanding, the mermaids did not usually have any items that were as beautiful as things that were elven-made. "You deserve this gift, and probably much more, but I fear our time together is running short." Haldir spoke truthfully.

Calaereth looked up at him, surprised by that comment. She had forgotten about the upcoming battle, and that their chances of surviving were slim. Calaereth admired him as he stood lit up by the pale moonlight that made his pale hair appear white. The most heartbreaking thing for her to see was his silver eyes, never had she see them look so sad. Without a second thought, Calaereth cupped his face watching him for any signs that he would protest them kissing. Calaereth now realized how short their time together was, and she figured she might as well do something she had always wanted to do. Haldir's silver eyes watched her in anticipation, he could see she wanted to kiss him, she had made the first move. Haldir decided to make the last move, and he leaned in and kissed her full on the lips.

Kissing Haldir was everything she had imagined it would be, he was gentle but exerted enough dominance to tell her who was in charge. Calaereth nearly grinned at that, of course, Haldir has to be in charge of everything. But giving some of that dominance to Haldir was nice, for Calaereth. She could simply follow his movements, and not have to worry about leading him just yet. Calaereth was very inexperienced in kissing, it was completely new to her, and Calaereth liked it.

After a few moments, that felt like hours for the couple they broke apart to breathe. Haldir grinned to see the small flush on her cheeks, knowing he had caused it. "Come." Haldir extended his arm, his mood improved immensely, "Let's go home."

Calaereth gladly accepted his arm, and sleep didn't sound so bad right now. Besides, she had Rivendell elves to meet tomorrow. Calaereth smiled to herself, squealing in excitement on the inside, Haldir had kissed her! It had been brief but still, probably the most thrilling thing Calaereth had experienced with Haldir so far. Calaereth felt like nothing could ruin her mood now, and both Haldir and Calaereth slept well that night.

* * *

**Yay! Chapter 14 is done, I hope you all liked it, and I look forward to your reviews! Sorry for the long delay everyone, I've been busy with tennis practice, lol. Thanks for reading, please review! :)**


	15. Leaving Lothlorien

**Author's Note:**

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Calaereth woke up the next morning to find it was almost noon, slightly embarrassed at getting up so late she went downstairs to scold Haldir for not waking her earlier when she noticed he wasn't in his room sleeping like she had expected. Calaereth headed down the stairs to the living room to find a note on the dinning table. She frowned when she saw that he had left early to escort the elves of Rivendell into Lothlórien. He assured her though, that he would be back by late afternoon or maybe even early evening. Calaereth pouted and sat in the chair, bored, until she remembered the necklace Haldir had given her last night. Calaereth jumped from her seat and ran up the stairs to where she had laid the box on her small nightstand by the bed. She opened the box and gently brought the necklace out of the box. After fumbling with the clasp for a few minutes she managed to hook it around her neck. Smoothing her long golden hair out of the way, she admired the way the necklace laid. It was not too long but not too short either, just perfect in Calaereth's standards.

She realized that she had really only one day left here in Lothlórien, she would leave with the army tomorrow morning and arrive in Helms Deep at night. Calaereth collapsed on her bed, surprised that this information had just dawned on her. Calaereth frowned as she thought about Lady Galadriel's words about her vision, what was she supposed to listen to Haldir for, what could change the outcome of whether he lived or not through this battle. _Listen_, Calaereth thought, _it could be anything. Oh no, what if he already told me and I didn't listen_. Calaereth nearly panicked at that thought. What about the lives she was supposed to save, Calaereth questioned, who would she save in this battle, elves, men, or both? Calaereth knew she was over thinking things, and instantly she decided she needed to think about something else instead. Like that amazing kiss with Haldir last night. Calaereth immediately blushed as the memory returned to her quickly. A smile covered her face as she remembered it all too clearly. She did hope it would happen again soon. A small sigh of contentment left her lips as she looked outside. She awaited Haldir's return eagerly.

Calaereth watched the window for most of the day, she hadn't even bothered trying to prepare for tomorrow. Calaereth figured Haldir could help her with that. When Calaereth saw Haldir walking towards the talan her heart beat quickened and she hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. Calaereth figured he would probably be thirsty or hungry, or both.

Haldir briefly knocked before entering the talan. "Calaereth!" Haldir called, eager to see her again as well.

"Haldir?" Calaereth smiled, peeking around the wall of the kitchen to see him turn towards her. Her insides nearly melting to see such a large grin plastered on his face. She wondered what had made him so happy.

"I have wonderful news for you." Haldir moved toward her.

"You do?" Calaereth's brown eyes widened in interest, "What is it?"

"I have received news of your father's condition, he is very well and should be ready to fight again within a month." Haldir nodded.

Calaereth's mouth dropped open in surprise, she felt tears of joy at the corners of her eyes. This was a blessing from the Valar. Calaereth leaped forward and into Haldir's arms with a cry of relief.

Haldir chuckled in amusement, of course, he had been overjoyed when he had heard of this as well. Haldir set her back down, but his arms remained locked around her waist. Haldir's silver eyes gazed down at Calaereth with an intensity that had her blushing and her tears forgotten.

"Did you miss me?" Haldir asked, his voice suddenly husky, a small smirk displayed on his very inviting lips. Calaereth stared at his lips for a moment before looking back up at Haldir.

"Yes." Calaereth admitted, "Very much." Calaereth moved forward, feeling suddenly very bold as her arms moved from his midsection to his neck. Her hands tangling themselves in his soft, pale blonde hair. "Did you miss me?" Calaereth asked almost innocently.

Haldir's smirk widened, "Oh you have no idea." One of his arms left her waist to cradle her head in his hand. Any other comment Calaereth may have had disappeared under Haldir's lips as they brushed gently against hers. A very effective silencing technique, Haldir noted to himself. The kiss lasted for a few more long moments until they parted, their foreheads resting against each other.

Calaereth moved her head to his shoulder resting there as she shut her eyes to try to enjoy the small moment of peace they had together. Secretly, Calaereth wondered if this would be part of her lifestyle if she was married to Haldir, perhaps a few centuries earlier. Would she welcome him home with a kiss after having Haldir being on the borders for days, weeks, or maybe even months. Would they have children together?_ Did Haldir even want any children?_ Calaereth felt her heart pound at that thought, instantly she pushed it to the back of her mind, to dwell on it later. Honestly, Calaereth was surprised by Haldir's sudden closeness after their first kiss. She had not expected him to be so willing to become more intimate and initiate a relationship. Not that she was going to complain, she did enjoy the attention. Calaereth guessed that Haldir was expecting to die in this battle, Calaereth pulled Haldir closer to her in the hug reflexively. _No_, Calaereth suddenly decided, she would fulfill her prophecy, she would save Haldir from a horrible death. Calaereth was determined to save Haldir and his comrades from death, even if it cost the life of her own.

Haldir instantly sensed a change in Calaereth's mood, he wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. Haldir pulled away slightly to look down at her with an arched eyebrow. Asking her a silent question. Calaereth only smiled in response, whatever was on her mind, Haldir knew he could not coax it out of her. The thought of something bothering her was instantly forgotten as Calaereth giggled and dragged him by the arm.

"Come here you silly elf, I bet you're starving." Calaereth lead him into the kitchen, and Haldir followed, grinning proudly as he allowed her to drag him around. Haldir was interested in seeing what Calaereth would try to serve him. Calaereth was right though, he was hungry.

* * *

It was already night in Lothlórien, Calaereth and Haldir had already prepared for the trip ahead of them. Though, Haldir seemed to be doing most of the packing, much to his dismay. Calaereth sat on her bed, beside the hardworking Marchwarden. Calaereth stared out into the dark night, her thoughts once again occupying her. Now that their departure from Lothlórien neared Calaereth found herself fretting over the battle. What if she couldn't save Haldir, what if she did fail him.

Haldir nearly sighed in relief once he finished packing Calaereth's bag. Haldir turned towards her to make a comment about her lack of cooperation in packing her bag. Haldir immediately faltered to see a look of doubt settle upon her face. Haldir quickly abandoned the now finished bag and settled behind her. His silver eyes quickly filled with concern. Haldir reached over her, his hand gently prying the hairbrush from her tightly clenched hands. Calaereth quickly blinked and looked over at him in surprise. Haldir gave her a reassuring smile and slowly took the hair brush from her.

Calaereth looked forward again as Haldir gently released her hair from the braids. Calaereth's eyes slowly closed as she felt his fingers brush through her hair before using the hair brush. She smiled, remembering how she had done the same thing for him that first night. Calaereth instantly knew what a pleasure it was to have someone brush your hair.

Haldir watched her, he was satisfied to find he could help her relax. Haldir was surprised to find that he could brush the waves out of her hair, it was beautiful to see her long golden hair so straight. Haldir wondered if she wanted to talk about the upcoming battle ahead. There was no ignoring it any longer, the consequences of this battle could be fatal for him, or her. Haldir leaned forward and brushed away the hair on the right side of her head. Holding the hair aside, Haldir pressed a small kiss to her cheek, then to her temple.

"I think we should talk." Haldir murmured, watching Calaereth's face for any sign of discomfort.

"About what?" Calaereth asked, though she was certain she already knew.

"You know what." Haldir pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth. "Helms Deep."

Calaereth turned her head slightly her eyes cracking to stare at him. "What about Helms Deep? I thought you already told me about Helms Deep, you know? It is in Rohan, a two day trip from Lothlórien. An old fortress that has never been sieged." Calaereth listed what he had told her.

"I want to talk about the possible outcomes, after the battle." Haldir interrupted her.

Calaereth wanted to turn the other way, and tell him she didn't want to think about it. Instead, she found she could only listen once she looked into those silver eyes.

Haldir nodded in acknowledgement of her silent answer. "How about we talk about the first one that comes to mind, I could very well die." Haldir stated.

Calaereth quickly broke their eye contact at that thought. Calaereth knew that it would break her heart.

"If I do, I expect you to choose the path of being a mermaid. You would be better off with your kin." Haldir rubbed at her arm soothingly. "Do not mourn for me, if I die in exchange for your ability to live, it would be well worth it." Haldir assured her.

Calaereth blinked as the tears formed, she was surprised at how well Haldir was able to accept death. Calaereth was not ready for Haldir to die, Calaereth doubted she would be able to accept it.

"Perhaps you would like to think about a better outcome?" Haldir suggested, regretting bringing up the subject when he saw tears in her eyes. Haldir used his thumb to brush away the tears. "If I survive, I do intend to court you, and marry you. If you will allow it."

Calaereth nearly gasped in surprise at his plan. She had thought Haldir had become suddenly intimate because he feared his end was near. Calaereth had briefly become worried that if he survived he may not be interested in her. "You do?" Calaereth asked, her brown eyes wide. What truly surprised Calaereth, was the fact that on the inside she was all too willing to marry him, to be in love with him. She would go against her father's wishes for Haldir.

"I do." Haldir smiled, "I hope you will sail with me and my kin to Valinor, for our time here is drawing to an end. Though, I will miss fair Lothlórien, for I fear they may not have the beautiful golden Mellorn trees in Valinor. It will be a sight I will surely miss."

Calaereth was saddened to hear him say that, Calaereth had to admit, Lothlórien was indeed very beautiful. Never had Calaereth seen such beautiful golden trees. Calaereth reached for his hand on her shoulder and intertwined her fingers with his. Calaereth smiled up at him when he looked down at her with a questioning glance. Calaereth leaned upwards and gave him a brief kiss.

"I think it is time for you to go to bed." Calaereth grinned.

"Surely you did not just recommend that the great Marchwarden of Lothlórien needs to go to bed." Haldir wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"And if I did?" Calaereth giggled as he feigned surprise.

"I fear the consequences would be most severe." Haldir stated.

"Oh, right, Haldir, severe." Calaereth laughed, "Thats very funny, now go to bed."

Haldir pouted and moved from the bed. Haldir suddenly paused at the door way as a thought entered his mind, and Haldir turned towards Calaereth with a smirk on his face.

"Are you going to tuck me in bed?" Haldir asked, his smirk widening at the blush that covered her face instantly.

"No!" Calaereth grabbed the pillow closest to her and threw it at Haldir who blocked it, and grinned at her, amused by her childish acts. Haldir could have easily caught the pillow, but he decided he would entertain Calaereth's attempt at an attack. "Go!" Calaereth said more sternly, pointing out of her room.

Haldir grinned and bowed at the door earning him another pillow before he retreated.

Calaereth sat there and stared at the door way for a moment, once she was certain he was not coming back. Calaereth got up and collected her pillows, grinning like a fool, who could say they threw pillows at Haldir and got away with it? Calaereth collapsed on the bed and curled into a small ball as she closed her eyes. She had been put at ease by Haldir's words, and sleep found her quickly.

* * *

Morning in Lothlórien arrived quicker than both Haldir and Calaereth would have liked. As always Haldir was the first to rise, despite his negative feelings towards leaving. After Haldir was dressed and had gathered his weapons he grabbed his bag and left his room solemnly. Haldir climbed the steps once more and stopped at Calaereth's doorway to stare at her sleeping form. She looked so at peace, her golden hair splayed out on the pillows. The sheets were wrapped around her form, Haldir watched as her body rose and fell with every breath. Calaereth was just as beautiful asleep than awake, Haldir realized. Haldir hated that he would have to wake her from her peaceful dreams and bring her back to the harsh reality of the battle to come. Haldir wished he could just leave her here, so she would not be in any danger. But Haldir knew he could not, Lady Galadriel had made it very clear that Calaereth was to participate in this battle. That she needed to live out this prophecy that no one else can. Haldir was not to alter it, Haldir hoped that he had trained her well. Haldir walked over to her bed silently, then he slowly sank onto the bed next to her. Haldir was surprised he had not awoken her. A glint of light reflecting at him caught Haldir's eye, he looked down at Calaereth's neck to see the necklace he had given her. Haldir smiled, knowing that he had chosen the right thing to give her. Haldir leaned in and traced her face with his hand. He was surprised to see her lean into his hand, and snuggle closer towards him.

"Calaereth." Haldir spoke her name very softly and gently, coaxing her awake.

Right at the moment Calaereth decided to open her eyes, a small ray of sunlight appeared, bathing her face in the warm light. Haldir was immediately entranced, and his composure threatened to break. It would be too easy, to tell her she had another hour to sleep and Haldir and his army could be out of Lothlórien within the hour. Calaereth would never be able to catch up, for she did not know how to track anything. But Haldir knew he could not, he knew how angry she would be with him. Haldir did not think he could handle her scorn towards him. Not after all the hard work he had done to become her friend and trainer. No, he could not risk it.

Calaereth blinked at him, waiting for him to say something but he remained silent. Calaereth figured he must have a lot on his mind.

Haldir's gaze flickered to Calaereth's eyes. The golden sunlight that poured in made her brown eyes lighter, and Haldir could see specks of green in them. Haldir nearly leaned in closer to get a better look at her eyes. The questioning look on Calaereth's face stopped him from going any further. Haldir quickly moved away and walked towards the door, he glanced over at her for a moment. "It is time to leave, you have five minutes." Haldir nodded and turned away, leaving quickly.

Calaereth stared after him for a long moment, completely puzzled by his odd entrance. Calaereth tried to shrug it off, but it was difficult to get the image of those silver eyes out of her head. But more disturbing had been his attire, the same outfit that Calaereth had dreamt of him dying in. Within five minutes Calaereth was dressed and grabbed her bag, she stopped at the door way and gazed back at the room longingly. Calaereth would miss this beautiful bedroom, she was sure of that. Then Calaereth exited, leaving the bedroom behind and met Haldir in the living room.

After Calaereth had her boots laced up and a cloak around her shoulders, Haldir handed her a large slice of an apple as her breakfast. Calaereth took it happily and said a small word of thanks. Haldir nodded in a gesture of his acceptance of her thanks as he packed a few foods in a sack for the trip to Helms Deep. Haldir did a double check to make sure they had everything, and then nodded towards Calaereth.

"Come, it is time for us to leave." Haldir opened the door for her, and Calaereth glanced back inside the talan one last time before Haldir closed the door. They quickly moved down to the grassy floor of Lothlórien. Calaereth was nervous when she saw how many male elves there were, so many soldiers. Calaereth could not believe the numbers, Calaereth estimated there were about 300 elves. In front of all of the elves were Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, they were making their goodbyes. Once Calaereth and Haldir reached them, Haldir was the first to make his farewells to the Lord and the Lady of Lothlórien. Haldir briefly bowed before moving away to talk to the soldiers. Calaereth's eyes briefly watched his movements before looking back at the Lord and the Lady who were now staring at her.

Calaereth quickly bowed before them and then looked back up at Lord Celeborn. "Farewell." Calaereth nodded, not really sure what else to say to the Lord of Lothlórien. Calaereth had never really talked to him often.

"Farewell." Lord Celeborn repeated, "I wish you luck on your journey, daughter of Gaeralagos."

"Thank you." Calaereth smiled before turning towards Galadriel. Lady Galadriel moved towards Calaereth with a gentle smile on her face as her hand touched Calaereth's shoulder in a comforting manner.

"I have faith in you, Calaereth." Galadriel assured her, "I know that you can fulfill your prophecy and spare many lives in this battle. Do not fear the battle when it comes. For it is true, you will see many things that will disturb you deeply. But do not worry, for you will have Haldir by your side, and he will be there to support you. Your decision is coming soon, Calaereth, I can sense it." Galadriel nodded, "Farewell, Calaereth."

"Farewell." Calaereth nodded sadly, then turned away to see Haldir watching her. Haldir quickly adverted his gaze and turned back to the elf he was talking to, who gave her a curious stare. Calaereth ignored it, and brushed it off, she always seemed to receive odd looks.

It was not long before they left Caras Galadhon in an organized large, group. Calaereth found herself walking beside Haldir, even though she was not of any high position. Calaereth felt like she did not belong among these elves, they all wore nice matching uniforms that consisted of armour, helmets, and blue capes. Haldir stood out amongst them, but he had an excuse, he was Marchwarden, he was the leader. Haldir wore a light gold armour that glittered in the morning sun, his cape was a deep shade of red. Calaereth couldn't bear to look at his handsome figure any longer, he was dressed exactly the same way he looked when he had died. _Was she too late_, Calaereth wondered, _had she failed him_?

Calaereth remained quiet for the rest of the trip, Haldir and her never talked at all during the trip. It was eerily silent as they traveled. The only noise that could be heard was their footsteps. Speaking of feet, Calaereth was becoming tired. She had never walked at such a fast pace over such a long period of time. And it was dark out, Calaereth naturally wanted to sleep. Calaereth's eyes drooped slightly, and her footing became unstable for a small moment but she quickly recovered. But her small stumble did not escape Haldir's eyes.

Haldir turned towards her and noticed her tired expression. Haldir pitied her, he had never seen Calaereth look so forlorn.

"I can carry you." Haldir moved towards her, whispering quietly, though he knew his wardens could hear due to their great sense of hearing. Haldir knew that, but Calaereth did not.

Calaereth looked up in surprise at the offer, it was tempting, but she did not want to look weak in front of these wardens. "I would not want to burden you Marchwarden." Calaereth looked away.

"You are not a burden to me, but if you do not rest, you will prove to be one later." Haldir stated.

Calaereth sighed in resignation as she felt his arms go under her and lift her up off her feet. Calaereth stared up at him for a moment and his silver eyes met her brown ones. Calaereth watched his lips move, saying something, but Calaereth couldn't quite make out what it was as a wave of fatigue washed upon her. Calaereth was asleep within moments.

Haldir watched as Calaereth fell asleep under the sleeping enchantment he had used. Haldir let out a breath of relief and found that their company was able to travel much quicker, with her asleep. They would be in Helms Deep by the next nightfall that was soon to come. Haldir held Calaereth closer to him, for he too feared what was to come.

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**Thats chapter 15 everyone! Hope you all liked it! Sorry for the super long delay, LOL. Thanks for reading! I'm looking forward to your reviews! Tell me what you think! :)**


	16. The Battle of Helm's Deep

**Author's Note:**

**i am a Fire-jay**** - D'awww your review about made me cry! I will do my best to make sure he does not die, and please don't cry! Because then I'll start crying, and we'll both be crying messes. Anyway, thanks for the wonderful review, I can't wait till your next review, lol. :)**

**BrownEyedGirl87**** - Thank you so much! I am glad to hear that! I love Haldir too ;). Thanks for the amazing review, I am looking forward to your next review! :)**

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**Rorythedragon**** - Haha yep, the battle is here! Ok, I'll try not to kill Haldir off, lol, I don't want a grumpy reviewer. :) Besides, I don't think I could live with myself if I did. Well that and I don't really want cheese cakes to haunt me, that sounds really scary. Thanks for the hilarious review, I can't wait till your next one! :)**

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* * *

Calaereth awoke at sunset the next day, she was surprised when she first woke up, that she had been asleep for so long. In the horizon, Calaereth saw what she knew had to be Helms deep. The fortress was built into the side of a mountain. The walls looked tall and strong, even from a distance. But something was telling Calaereth that the walls would not hold up, not this time. Something was going to be different about this battle, and Calaereth knew it. She looked at the sun, it was quickly setting, within the hour it would disappear. Calaereth frowned, they would most likely be at the fortress in four or five hours. Calaereth's heart immediately sank at that thought, and her mood worsened. Calaereth glanced up at Haldir to find he was analyzing the fortress very carefully. Calaereth hated to see the frown that appeared on his lips, it was not a fitting look for him. But Calaereth understood why he would wear it now, and she was certain she had one on her face as well.

Finally the cloak of darkness fell upon the land, and yet Calaereth was not tired, not this time. She had rested long enough. Calaereth wiggled in Haldir's arms, "I think I can walk now, Haldir." Calaereth looked up at him, pleading with him.

Haldir raised an eyebrow, he readied himself to argue with her but Calaereth quickly spoke again.

"I need to stretch my legs. I fear I would not do well in battle with numb legs." Calaereth used as an excuse.

Haldir thought about it for a moment, she had been asleep for long. But he would hate for her to tire out from the walk as well. Haldir hoped she had enough endurance and rest. Haldir finally nodded in agreement, and put her down. But he did eye her carefully for the rest of the dark trip to Helms Deep to watch for any signs of fatigue.

Once they were close to the fortress, the elven horn was sounded. Calaereth watched with keen eyes as the men seemed unsure at first of what to do, but then they quickly opened the gates. As they marched inside, Calaereth moved even closer to Haldir when the eyes of many men looked upon her. Calaereth quickly became uncomfortable as she met some of their eyes and identified their looks. Some were of confusion, others of anger, but what frightened her the most were the looks of lust. Calaereth immediately decided she did not like those men, that they to be avoided at all costs.

As Haldir and Calaereth rounded a corner, Haldir glanced at her assuringly before stepping forward to talk with and older man dressed in armour, with blonde hair and a beard. Haldir knew him as King Théoden, but Calaereth did not. Théoden looked absolutely amazed and puzzled at the same time. Haldir resisted the urge to smirk in amusement, instead he gave a small bow.

"How is this possible?" King Théoden asked, completely shocked.

"I bring word, from Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together." Haldir began his very impressive speech but stopped when he saw movement above. Haldir quickly identified the three figures as Aragorn, Legolas, and that dwarf he had met on the borders of Lothlórien, that had been quite rude as he remembered. "We've come to honor that allegiance." Haldir finished proudly.

Calaereth recognized the three figures as well, they were part of the fellowship from what she remembered. Calaereth wondered where the rest of the fellowship was. She did not know they had long ago, split up. Calaereth quite missed the joyful little hobbits that she had met. Calaereth looked back up as Aragorn quickly descended the steps towards Haldir.

"Mae Govannen Haldir." Aragorn grinned and did a small elven gesture of greeting before reaching forward and hugging Haldir. Which caught Haldir by surprise, Calaereth nearly giggled at how awkward of a hugger he looked. Truly though, he gave great hugs, to Calaereth at least.

Haldir eventually relaxed and gave Aragorn a small pat on the back before pulling away.

"You are most welcome." Aragorn moved aside and then met Calaereth's eyes. Calaereth wondered if he would even recognize her. To her great surprise, Aragorn did.

"You have changed much, since I last met you, Calaereth." Aragorn grinned at her, his blue eyes twinkling.

"I'm afraid I cannot say the same for you, Aragorn." Calaereth smiled in humor, and gave him a small hug.

Then Legolas moved forward and grabbed the top of Haldir's arms, and Haldir did the same in elven greeting. Right at that moment, the elven army shifted and turned left in a very swift and graceful movement.

"We are proud to fight alongside men once more." Haldir said with a very kind face, despite the small jealousy he had felt when he had saw Aragorn hug Calaereth. Haldir wasn't sure what had caused it, Aragorn was a very moral man and his heart already belonged to Arwen. But something about seeing Aragorn hug her irritated him greatly. He had nearly reached over and pulled Aragorn off of her. But somehow he had restrained himself. Haldir looked behind his shoulder and glanced at Calaereth, she met his eyes, and a smile appeared on her face.

Haldir gave a half-hearted smile back before turning away and following Théoden up the steps to discuss battle positions.

* * *

Calaereth stood beside Haldir at the front of the Deeping Wall. She looked behind her to see all the other elves on the wall, they all stood so rigid and solemn as if they knew they were facing death. Some distance down the wall there was Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli together, talking. The night was cool and dark, Calaereth could see her breath in the air. Calaereth could nearly smell the rain in the air. She sensed a great storm was coming. The entire fortress was decorated with torches, to provide some light in the darkness. Calaereth turned towards the view in front of her. She could see many lights, the light of torches that the enemy carried to light their way. Calaereth had overheard Aragorn talking to Haldir, about the size of the army that was coming. At least ten thousand strong, Aragorn had said. The total of the fighters here were six hundred, at the most.

A cold breeze brushed through Calaereth's golden hair, and greatly unsettled her. Lightning suddenly lit up the sky and a loud crack of thunder rumbled through the air. Calaereth shrunk back slightly, and grabbed for Haldir's hand. Haldir looked down at her in surprise but the smiled softly at the fear in Calaereth's large brown eyes. Haldir's thumb caressed her palm trying to reassure her as another flash of lightning brightened the dark sky and was followed by a louder crack of thunder.

Then, it began to rain. Calaereth looked up at the sky and nearly started crying, it was just like her dream. What if it was too late? Calaereth's grip on his hand instantly tightened, no she was not too late. She just needed to remember what Haldir had told her, what ever it was. Calaereth watched with dread as the Uruk-Hai, as Haldir had called them, marched closer and closer. Calaereth knew there was much more on the line here than just Haldir's life. There was the lives of the elves, and the women, the children, and the elderly that hid in the caves, awaiting their fate. Calaereth swallowed hard, she had to focus. She wanted to make Haldir proud of her, now was not the time to be afraid. Now was the time to be strong, and to prove her worth amongst the great elven warriors beside her.

Calaereth heard Aragorn shout words of advice in elvish.

A loud yell from an Uruk-Hai startled Calaereth, she turned to see the owner of the voice standing on the top of a rock, he looked to be a leader. This was proved correct as the entire army halted. For a moment they stood silent, staring at both armies staring at each other. Some growls and huffs filled the air. Then the leader let out another order in the form of a yell and the army began stomping and pounding their spears. A form of intimidation from what Calaereth could tell. She turned her head to the left to see the men draw their arrows in a form of defense. After a few moments of the stomps and yells an arrow flew from the men's side, and pierced an Uruk-Hai right in between the armour. Killing it instantly. Calaereth couldn't help but grin as the Uruk-Hai let out a noise, and then faceplanted into the ground.

"Nice shot." Calaereth muttered, and Haldir turned towards her with a corner of his lips upturned at her comment.

For a moment everything was silent. All the Uruk-Hai stared at their dead comrade, then they turned towards the army of men and elves, and started growling. The leader extended his sword and let out a yell, an obvious way of saying, charge. The Battle of Helms Deep had begun.

"Prepare to fire!" Aragorn yelled over the storm. Calaereth felt elegant as she and Haldir grabbed an arrow and put it into the bow at the same time. Calaereth quickly picked a target. As she picked a large and rather slow target, she heard Legolas advice them to aim either at the neck or the arm, where the armour was weak. "Release the arrows!" Aragorn ordered.

The arrows flew through the air at the command and nailed their targets. Calaereth watched with satisfaction as her target fell. The the arrows from the men began to fly as well. Then Aragorn ordered for the elves behind him to begin shooting.

Then the Uruk-Hai started pulling out cross bows and began fire back. They became Calaereth's targets, for she was angered when the elves around her were killed. The same rage she had felt when her fellow mermaid people were being killed in a battle. Calaereth watched as ladders were being put up, and Aragorn ordered them to pull out their swords. Calaereth put her bow away and grabbed her daggers that were strapped to her waist.

She heard the sheath of a sword beside her, and Calaereth turned to see Haldir pulling out his sword. It was a beautiful sword, and was obviously of elven make. Calaereth was certain that it had seen many battles before this one. Calaereth observed him, his silver eyes were narrowed in concentration and were as stormy grey as the storm that raged before them. The rain had long since drenched his hair, but Calaereth could see it had not dampened his soul. Calaereth turned back towards the battle, finding the strength from Haldir's appearance.

"Just remember Calaereth." Haldir paused, waiting for the enemies to come patiently. His voice catching Calaereth's attention. "Life is always about sacrifices, it is the sacrifices that bring peace. The young hobbit Frodo has sacrificed his peaceful life in the Shire, to go to the chaos to destroy the one ring. We also, must sacrifice." Then an Uruk-Hai appeared and Haldir cut it down as more appeared. Calaereth instantly knew the moment was lost, but his words still echoed in her ears.

As Calaereth fought back against the Uruk-Hai she dwelled on his words. Calaereth had not predicted that he would give such words of wisdom and encouragement right before going into battle. As Calaereth defeated Uruk-Hai after Uruk-Hai, she still found her thoughts on Haldir's words. Calaereth knew she should have a clear head when fighting, but something about Haldir's words kept her thinking.

"A she-elf?" Calaereth turned behind her to look at an Uruk-Hai that cackled at her. "How desperate are the elves that they would bring a female into the fighting?" The Uruk-Hai asked snarkily, his yellow teeth grinning at her. Calaereth snarled at the insult and lunged forward with her daggers to kill him for his insult to the elves. Whom she greatly admired. Only to find Haldir had beat her to the offending Uruk-Hai. A sneer was on Haldir's face as he killed the orc, then moved onto another without even a glance at Calaereth.

Calaereth turned back to the fight in front of her, as she pushed a ladder backwards into the large army of orcs waiting outside the walls, she saw what looked to be some kind of explosive being carried. No, two explosives, heading for the middle of the wall, where there was an opening for drainage in the fortress. Not to far away an Uruk-Hai carrying a torch followed. Calaereth nearly cursed, they were going to blow up the wall.

Without a second thought, Calaereth ran towards that section of the wall dodging the blows aimed for her by Uruk-Hai. "Get off of the wall!" Calaereth screamed in Elvish, pushing surprised elves in two different directions to get them off of that section of the wall. "They are going to blow up the wall!" Calaereth explained, and to her great relief, they listened. Just as that section of the wall cleared, and Calaereth got back to Haldir, the wall exploded, just as she had predicted. Calaereth's quick reactions had saved lives, just as prophesied. Whether Calaereth realized it or not, she had fulfilled part of her prophecy. Calaereth could not believe that she had managed to get them off of the wall, and that they had believed her.

Haldir nearly jumped at the loud explosion that sounded in his ears and shook the wall he stood on. Haldir was certain many of his comrades had perished in the explosion, but instead of seeing them being killed by the explosion, he saw that they were crammed on both sides of the wall and looked at the explosion in disbelief as well. Haldir wondered how this was even possible, had they spotted the threat ahead of time?

Calaereth watched in amazement as large blocks of the wall flew up into the air, propelled by the force of the great explosion. Some of the chunks of the wall hit the Uruk-Hai, but not as many as Calaereth had hoped for. Calaereth looked up at the large cloud of smoke that rose in the air. Once the dust settled, the large amount of water that had been held behind the wall came down upon the Uruk-Hai who tried to come through. The water was deep and of great force, it knocked many of them back, but not for long. Soon enough they surged forward and Calaereth noticed that Aragorn lay on the ground.

Calaereth was going to yell for Aragorn but a certain dwarf beat her to it, and Calaereth watched on in true astonishment as the dwarf leaped off of the wall and attacked the Uruk-Hai. Taking them on all by himself. Aragorn had the elves behind him shoot a volley of arrows, before charging forward to fight the Uruk-Hai, to save Gimli.

Before Calaereth could watch the fight below any longer, she heard heavy steps come up behind her. Calaereth turned her head to identify her enemy, who had sneaked up on her.

"You're mine!" The Uruk-Hai declared.

Calaereth smirked and ducked at his swing for her head and kicked his feet out from him. The Uruk-Hai fell with a loud thud, and Calaereth finished him off.

"Aragorn! Fall back to the Keep!" Calaereth heard a loud male voice order. Calaereth ran towards Haldir, they needed to go back together, so nothing could harm him.

Calaereth heard Aragorn order them to the Keep, but Calaereth refused to go on her own, she would not abandon Haldir. Just as Calaereth reached Haldir, Aragorn ordered for Haldir to retreat back to the Keep. Haldir looked over at Calaereth and gestured her to go on. Calaereth stopped when she got in front of him, and shook her head at his demand to go on.

"I am not leaving without you." Calaereth breathed heavily, never had she run so hard in her life.

"But you must!" Haldir reasoned, "You must and you will!"

Calaereth glared at him and opened her mouth to argue when two Uruk-Hai charged them. Calaereth easily killed one, and she saw Haldir do so as well. Haldir turned back towards her, his silver eyes raging. How dare she defy him, and at a time like this?

"There are too many, you must go now Calaereth." Haldir ordered.

"And leave you here to die? Absolutely unthinkable!" Calaereth scolded him.

That was when the same Uruk-Hai from her dream appeared behind Haldir, catching him off guard once again. The Uruk-Hai's arms were raised up to swing his axe down upon Haldir. _Sacrifice_, Calaereth suddenly thought, and things instantly clicked for her. That was what Galadriel had wanted her to remember, to sacrifice. She needed to sacrifice, for Haldir to live.

Calaereth pushed Haldir out of the way, and drew her daggers catching the Uruk-Hai's swing. But Calaereth had miscalculated, and had not anticipated the Uruk-Hai to be very strong. The Uruk-Hai hit her daggers hard, and Calaereth's hands were pushed down at the force and she felt her right arm break under the pressure. A loud snap gave further evidence to her injury. Calaereth let out a small cry at the pain, but before she had time to react, the Uruk-Hai lunged forward and knocked her over, his blade slicing deeply into her already injured right arm, causing her to let out a howl of pain. Suddenly, the Uruk-Hai was gone, and all that Calaereth had been able to register was a flash of silver-blonde that tackled the Uruk-Hai on top of her.

Calaereth found her vision was beginning to blur, and quickly. Calaereth immediately decided it had to be from blood loss, the Uruk-Hai had cut deep into her arm. Haldir's face came back into view, and Calaereth blinked back the tears and stared at him. Expecting him to say something comforting.

"Foolish woman." Was all that Haldir said before picking her up and heading quickly for the Keep. Great emotions raged within Haldir as he carried her back as quickly as he could, fighting off the Uruk-Hai while retreating. Calaereth had been foolish to stay and fight rather than leave, but she had saved his life. Haldir knew this, but it had come at a great cost. Haldir glanced down to see her becoming pale, he needed to do something about that arm wound and fast. Haldir wanted to yell at her for her stupid decision, but he found that he could not. All he could find was gratefulness for her. Haldir owed her his life. Haldir quickly entered the Keep, as did a few of his comrades who looked at Calaereth with great concern. Their eyes asked him silent questions.

Haldir gently sat Calaereth down against the cold wall, and ripped off a large piece of his red cloak. He wrapped it tightly around her wound, to serve as a tourniquet for the time being. Haldir looked up into Calaereth's eyes to find them teary and sad.

"You're mad at me aren't you?" Calaereth sobbed softly.

"I am." Haldir stated truthfully, "But I find that I cannot blame you for what you did." Haldir sighed, "For I would have done the same."

"You would?" Calaereth asked in disbelief, her brown eyes wide.

"Of course." Haldir nodded, wiping at her tears.

Calaereth closed her eyes feeling dizzy for a moment, even though she was sitting still. She felt horrible.

"The fortress is taken. It is over." King Théoden said with finality as the men and some remaining elves braced the door. Haldir turned towards Théoden, irritated at his easy defeat.

"You said this fortress would never fall while your men defended it. They still defend it! They have died defending it!" Aragorn yelled.

Then there was a loud pound on the doors of the Keep. The Uruk-Hai were trying to break inside. Calaereth let out a small groan, catching Haldir's attention as Théoden and Aragorn talked amongst each other. Their talk did not last long and soon enough Calaereth found herself being lifted up by Haldir again and being put on a white horse. Haldir mounted behind her, and held the reins of the horse in one hand, and his sword in another. Calaereth could no longer really discern what the men were saying and she felt her body becoming slack and relaxing against Haldir. Haldir turned his head to look at her in concern. His silver eyes were the only thing Calaereth could focus on. A loud horn sounded and the Uruk-Hai broke through the doors, Calaereth felt Haldir give the horse a nudge and they charge forward with the group, fighting their way out of Helms Deep. Calaereth looked around dazed, ignoring the growls of the Uruk-Hai around her, it was dawn, of a new day.

A loud whinny of a horse caught Haldir's and Calaereth's attention. They both turned to see a white horse, and on the top of the horse, Haldir recognized Gandalf. Suddenly the fighting ceased and the Uruk-Hai turned to see what had caught everyone's attention.

A man came forward beside Gandalf, and yelled, "Rohirrim!" Haldir was relieved to see the Riders of Rohan arrive. After a loud yell of, "FOR THE KING!" The large group of men charged down the hill and the Uruk-Hai were no longer concerned about the survivors of the Battle of Helms Deep. But the Riders of Rohan.

Calaereth watched in awe as the great army charged down the hill, as they came to conflict the sun bore down on the Uruk-Hai. Blinding them. Calaereth knew that the Uruk-Hai were no match for the Rohirrim, and that the battle had ended, in their victory. Calaereth smiled, and then her world went dark.

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**CLIFFHANGER! Sorry guys, I just had to end there, I couldn't help myself. Please don't kill me though. But I would like to hear about what you thought about this chapter, what do you think will happen next? O.O Thanks for reading guys, I cannot till I see your reviews! :)**

**-Garnette**


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